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CARD TRICKS 

How to do Them, 

and Sleight of Hand 


DESIGNED FOR PARLOR AND STAGE ENTER- 
TAINMENTS FOR THE INSTRUCTION OF 
PROFESSIONALS AND AMATEURS . . . . 

BY 

A. ROTERBERG 
Expert Card Manipulator 

FULLY ILLUSTRATED 


% 

> > 1 

Chicago 

Frederick J. Drake & Company 

Publishers 




4--QN 

1038 


Copyright, 1902 

Frederick J. Drake & Company 
Chicago. 


o/'T S~\ 


5 

Co py-- 


INTRODUCTION 


INTRODUCTION 


In order to become a successful conjurer with 
cards, it is absolutely necessary that the learner 
should first thoroughly familiarize himself with 
the various sleights upon which the most effect- 
ive card tricks are based. It is impossible to 
devote too much time to the acquirement and 
practice of these moves, there being practically 
no limit to the degree of dexterity that can be 
reached by practice, and only by practice. 

After the necessary degree of proficiency in 
sleights has been acquired, each trick that the 
beginner intends to perform must be carefully 
laid out and clothed, as it were, with a certain 
speech, technically termed “patter,” the object 
of which is to cause the trick itself to assume, 
in the minds of the spectators, a plausible ap- 
pearance. 

The performer’s manner should be suave, but 
not over polite, a mistake made by most begin- 
ners. Over politeness tends to reduce the per- 
former to a level below that of the spectators; 
whereas, his object is to convey the impression 
that he is a being gifted with an inexplicable 
power. Yours truly, 

A. Roterberg. 

January , 1902. 


CONTENTS 

PAGE. 

Introduction * * , * 3 

Sleights 4 

Herrmann Pass 9 

Charlier Pass 13 

Force, The 17 

Changes 20 

The Top Change 21 

The Bottom Change 22 

The New Top Change 24 

Mexican Turnover 25 

Excelsior Change 26 

The Color Change 28 

Card Palming 36 

Card Sleights 42 

New Glimpse, The 47 

Bridge, The 50 

Prearranged Pack 51 

Glide, The 52 

Revolution 54 

False Shuffles 56 

Cut, The ! 59 

Penetration of Matter 61 

Magic Versus Mnemonics 64 

Queen of the Air 66 

Card Caught on Plate 69 

Second Sight 71 

The Attached Card 74 

Cards Shot Against a Hat 76 

Thought Reading 80 

War in Peace 78 


CONTENTS 


PAGE. 


Mysterious Change 

Handkerchief Trick 

Itinerant Card 

Gravity Defied 

Card in the Pocket 

Demon Envelope 

The Ubiquitous Card 

Four Cards Caught at Finger Tips 

Cards, Coins and Glass 

The Halved Cut 

Phoenix, The 

Lost Ace 

Thought Foretold 

Pierced Card 

Card Box 

Card Box, Mechanical 

The New Brass Card Box 

Vanishing Cards — 

X Rays * 

Balanced Card 

The Card Servante 

Rapid Transit 

Conjurer’s Prediction 

Card Frames 

The Cards and Mirror 

Singular Transposition 

Vice Versa 

Mystic Divination 

Cards Rising Through the Air 

The Excelsior Rising Cards 

Rising Cards and Tumble 

Comedy of Errors IIM iinuM<i 


» » « 1 1 » * 


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.106 
.113 
.116 
.118 
.120 
.122 
.125 
.127 
.128 
.130 
.131 
.135 
.136 
.139 
.140 
.143 
.147 
.148 
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.156 
.160 
.162 
,164 



BOOK OF CARD TRICKS. 
Principles of Slight of Hand. 


SLEIGHTS. 

The two principal sleights used in card tricks 
are the “Pass” and the “Force,” both of which 
may safely be called the sine qua non of card 
conjuring. As the “Force” is practically the 
“Pass” with an addition to it, I shall first 
endeavor to teach my reader the “Pass,” which 
may be executed either with both hands or with 
one hand only. 


THE DOUBLE HANDED PASS. 

The purpose of the sleight is to cause the 
upper and lower parts of the pack, divided into 
halves by the little finger, which is held between 
them, to change places; that is, the upper part 
of the pack is made to take the place of the 
lower one, and vice versa. Usually a selected 


6 


CARD TRICKS 


card is placed on the lower half of the pack, 
the upper half is then placed on top of this, 
whereupon the pass is made in the twinkling 
of an eye, the conjuror’s object, to bring the 
selected card from the middle to the top of the 
pack, being thereby attained. 

For this purpose the pack is held in the left 
hand, being divided into two nearly equal parts 
by the little finger, which is inserted between 



FIG. I , 


them, Fig. 2. (Most American conjurors, includ- 
ing myself, prefer the insertion of the third 
finger instead of the fourth one, as it allows 
the fingers to grip the packet more firmly.) The 
pack is now covered with the right hand (Fig. 



fiOW TO DO THEM 


7 


1), which seizes the lower half of the pack, the 
fingers being stationed on the upper edge of 
the cards and the thumb at the bottom. Under 
Cover of the right hand, the upper half of the 
pack, which is held clipped between the third 



fig. 2. 

and fourth fingers, is drawn away till it just 
clears the lower half. 

Simultaneously with this movement the right 



8 


CARD TRICKS 


hand lifts up the lower half, the root of the 
thumb acting as a support. Thus both packets 
are made to pass each other without actually 
touching, both having now changed places. 

A close inspection of Fig. 3 will serve to illus- 
trate this transposition still better. The shaded 





part (No. 2) in the drawing represents the lower 
packet, while the lighter one (No. 1) indicates 
the upper one. The original position of these 


HOW TO DO THEM 


9 


two halves is shown in A; while in B, the 
upper part of the pack is represented in the act 
of being tilted upwards by the third and fourth 
fingers of the left hand. In C, the lifting of 
the lower packet is illustrated ; in D, both halves 
are seen to have passed each other; E shows 
the new position of the two packets. 

The beginner will at first find the making of 
the pass a rather awkward and difficult task, but 
as he continues to practice, the fingers will soon 
become more pliable, as it were, and act in un- 
conscious unison. In a few weeks the pass can 
be mastered so that tricks depending on it can 
be safely exhibited. An ideal pass, which must 
be absolutely noiseless, quick as a flash, and prac- 
tically invisible, will, however, take a year or 
more to acquire and even then constant practice 
must be devoted to it. 


THE HERRMANN PASS. 

The double-handed pass, that I am about to' 
describe, was a favorite with the late Alexander 
Plerrmann, who delighted to puzzle with it, peo- 
ple versed in the usual sleights. In this pass, 
which depends almost exclusively upon misdirec- 
tion, no change of the two halves of the pack can 
possibly be seen, no matter how closely the spec- 
tator watches for it. The secret lies in the fact 


10 


CARD TRICKS 


that the upper front half of the pack is held in 
an upright position. Behind this half, under 
cover of which the transposition of the two 
packets is effected, the spectator is not allowed 
to see. 

In the first position of the two packets, the 
lower — or, rather, the rear one — is held in the 



fig. 4. 

left hand, the first joints of the second and third’ 
fingers being stationed at the side of the cards, 
while the first and little fingers lie curled up 
behind it (Fig. 4). The upper, or front packet, 
C, is held in the right hand, in the position as 
shown in Fig. 4, the thumb being located above, 


HOW TO DO THEM 


ii 


and the fingers below the cards, exposing as 
much of them as possible. 

Both packets are held in a perpendicular posi- 
tion, C, being turned towards the spectators. 
Under cover of C, the packet B, which is slipped 
between the fingers of the left hand, is tilted 
downwards and passed around the front of C, 
being then placed on the latter. Fig. 5 illus- 



fig. 5. 


trates the act of packet B passing around C. 
The two halves then occupy the position shown 
in Fig. 6. 

After my reader has once understood the prin- 
ciple and purpose of the pass, he will be sur- 
prised how very useful the latter will prove in 


12 


CARD TRICKS 


cases where the spectator, in a spirit of con- 
trariness, refuses to have his attention diverted 
by the performer’s patter and insists upon rivet- 
ing his eyes upon the conjuror’s hands. 

The best way in which to use this pass will 
be to have the selected card laid on packet B, 
upon which C is then placed, its back being 
turned towards the spectators, who, as we will 
take for granted, keep their eye on the rear 
of the card. The pass is then made under cover 



FIG. 6. 

of C as explained, the pack being turned face 
upwards during this operation, thus completely 
disguising the sleight. 


ROW t>0 THEM 


13 


Another excellent use to which this pass may 
be put, is to convince the spectators that the 
selected card is neither at the top, nor at the 
bottom of the pack. The card in this case occu- 
pies the top place, the regular double-handed 
pass is then made, whereby the card is brought 
to the middle of the pack, both packets being 
in readiness for the execution of the “Herr- 
mann Pass.” After having exhibited the top 
card, the performer turns over the left hand, 
which holds the pack, and shows that the bot- 
tom card is not the chosen one either. In turn- 
ing back the left hand into its original position, 
in which act it is assisted by the right, the 
“Herrmann Pass” is made and the desired card 
is thus brought once more to the top of the pack. 


THE CHARLIER PASS 

As the pass of this name is by far the best 
one of all single handed passes, I shall describe 
it only. The pack is held in the left hand, as 
shown in Fig. 7, the thumb being kept at one 
side of the cards and the second and third 
fingers at the other side, while' the first and 
fourth fingers lie slightly bent beneath the pack. 

By slightly unloosing the thumb, the lower 
half of the pack is allowed to drop down into 
the position shown in Fig. 8, the first and fourth 


14 


CARD TRICKS 


lingers immediately receiving this packet, and 
pushing it over towards the thumb, pressing it 
in an upright position against the latter. The 
upper pack is now allowed to drop down, as 
shown in Fig. 9, the former lower half being 
then placed on top of it (Fig. 10). 



fig. 7. 

Although the various stages of the Charlier 
pass are illustrated and described, it must, how- 
ever, be understood that these different moves 
must blend into each other and be practically 
made one. (This same remark may be applied 
to the two passes previously explained). In 
practicing this pass, the right hand ought to 
be left out of play altogether, the left hand only 


HOW TO DO THEM 


15 



being used in placing the cards in the position 
shown in Fig. 7. 

The usual method of employing this pass is 
to hold the pack in the position shown in Fig. 
7 and to request the person to insert the card 
in the pack thus offered him. As he is about 


fig. 8. 

to do so, the performer allows the lower half 
of the pack to drop into the position seen in Fig. 
8, thereby silently inviting the spectator to place 
his card in the opening thus made. The right 
hand then approaches the pack and shields it 
for an instant, at the same time the left hand 
is rather quickly drawn back, the right hand 
following, the pass being invisibly made under 
cover of these movements. 



16 


CARD TRICKS 


An improvement— or, rather, Charlier 7 s orig- 
inal way of performing this pass, consists of 
allowing the spectator to replace his card on 
the lower half of the pack, after which the con- 



fig. 9. 

jurer calmly allows the upper half to drop on 
top of it. Those of my readers who are familiar 
with the “Charlier Pass” will no doubt exclaim, 
“Why, that is not the Charlier Pass, as the 
selected card is now in the middle of the pack. ’ ’ 
So it is, my dear reader; but wait a moment 
before jumping at conclusions. If the card is 
in the middle of the pack at present, that is 
no reason w r hy it should stay' there. Neither 
<ioes it. In dropping the upper half on the 



How TO DO THEM 


17 


lower half, he simply bides his chance of being 
unobserved, and when this opportunity arrives, 
with the left thumb simply lifts the former 



fig. 10. 

upper half of the pack into its original position 
and then makes the pass in the regular fashion. 


THE FORCE 

By the forcing of one or more cards is un- 
derstood the sleight whereby a person is com- 
pelled, but without his knowledge, to draw 
such cards out of the pack that the conjurer 
wishes to have selected. There is a certain and 


6AkD TRICKS 


Ifl 

indefinable something about the force, in influ- 
encing the spectator’s choice in an unnotice- 
able manner. This part of the sleight is prac- 
tically impossible to explain, but will be readily 
understood and learned by the beginner after 
the latter has made a few experiments on the 
subject. 

But now to the mechanical part of the Force 
itself. After requesting the spectators to 
shuffle the pack thoroughly, the performer 
receives it back and quickly notices the bottom 
card. In the act of advancing toward the spec- 
tator, he makes the double handed pass, bringing 
the bottom card to the middle of the pack, which 
he immediately spreads out in fan shape, re- 
questing the spectator to select a card. Just as 
the spectator is about to take a card, the per- 
former, who has in the meantime gradually 
passed the upper half of the cards from one 
hand into the other, arrives at the former bottom 
card, of which he has carefully kept track, and 
exposing this card a trifle more than the others, 
causes the spectator’s choice, in nine times out 
of ten, to fall upon this particular card. The 
beginner is cautioned not to commit the usual 
mistake of exposing or offering the desired card 
at too early a stage of the “Force.” At the 
moment that the spectator’s fingers are about to 
close on a card, the desired card must be there 
and not sooner. 


HOW TO DO THEM 


19 


In case the performer fails to force a par- 
ticular card, the customary expedient is to 
request a person to retain the drawn card, 
whereupon the conjurer goes to a more obliging 
person (ladies are the easiest to force cards on) 
and after forcing the desired card, does the trick 
he originally intended to perform, after which 
he requests the first spectator to replace his card 
in the pack which is then shuffled. The con- 
jurer then performs with this card one of the 
many existing tricks with a chosen card. 

After a performer has thoroughly mastered 
the art of forcing, he can even venture to force 
a card while the pack is held by one hand only. 
The desired card in this case is the top card. 
In the act of advancing toward the spectator, 
the performer makes the “Charlier Pass,” 
thereby bringing the card from the top to the 
middle of the pack, but allowing the two packets 
to form a step. The upper packet is then spread 
a little by the left thumb, but none of the cards 
are exposed nearly as much as the desired card, 
which is the top card of the lower heap. Upon 
requesting a spectator to kindly select a card, the 
latter’s choice will most always fall upon the 
card that is exposed the most. Dependent upon 
this fact, is a still bolder form of forcing the 
cards in this case being placed on a tray held 
bv the performer. In arranging the cards, the 
performer simply takes care to expose the card 


20 


CARD TRICKS 


or cards that he intends to force, more than any 
of the others. 


CHANGES 

The object of all sleights of this name is to 
change a card held in the right hand for the top 
card of the pack, which is held in the left. 
Changes are especially useful when the per- 
former has made a mistake, having by some acci- 
dent lost the chosen card. Taking any card out 
of the pack, he places it, without showing its 
face, on the table, and boldly asserts that it is 
the chosen card, which he requests its owner to 
name. Upon thus becoming acquainted with the 
name of this card, he spreads out the pack, 
under the pretext of showing that the chosen 
card is not contained among the others. In 
reality, he quickly finds this card and slips it 
behind the others, thus bringing it to the top of 
the pack. Picking up the card on the table, he 
adroitly changes it for the top card of the pack, 
i. e., the chosen one, and exhibits it. 

The changes mostly employed by conjurers, 
are the “Top Change” and the “Bottom 
Change,” a description of which is herewith 
given, 


HOW TO DO THEM 


21 


THE TOP CHANGE 

The card to be changed is held face downward 
between the thumb and first finger of the right 
hand, while the pack is kept in the left hand, 
the thumb lying loosely across the back of the 
cards, the finger being stationed at the bottom 
of the pack, which of course is also held face 
downwards. Just a moment previous to the 



fig. 11. 


“Change, ” the thumb of the left hand secretly 
pushes the top card of the pack over towards 
the right, thereby causing it to project over a 
trifle beyond the rest of the cards. The hands 
are then brought together for an instant only, 
and the top card of the pack is quickly seized 


22 


CARD TRICKS 


by the first and second fingers of the right hand 
(Fig. 11) which is immediately withdrawn, leav- 
ing the card it formerly contained on the top of 
the pack, being retained there by the thumb. The 
act of bringing the two hands together is gener- 
ally disguised by some appropriate gesture by 
the performer, who, after having successfully 
executed the sleight, usually rubs the card on his 
sleeve or requests some spectator to breathe upon 
it, then showing that the card has changed into 
another. 

This change, if adroitly executed, is practic- 
ally impossible to detect. It is one of the most 
useful of sleights and for this reason ought to 
be practiced until the beginner is thoroughly 
proficient in it. 


THE BOTTOM CHANGE 

In this form of the sleight, the card to be ex- 
changed for the one 'on the top of the pack is 
left at the bottom of the latter. The pack is 
kept in the left hand between the thumb, which 
is lying across the top of the cards and the first 
finger, which is placed at the bottom, the remain- 
ing fingers of the same hand being held loosely 
at the same place in readiness to receive the card 
to be exchanged, which card is held between the 
second and third fingers of the right hand. The 


HOW TO DO THEM 


23 


hands are now brought together for an instant 
only, during which act the card in the right hand 
is left at the bottom of the pack, being inserted 
between the second and third fingers, while at 
the same time the top card of the pack, which 
has been previously pushed towards the right 
by means of the left thumb, is quickly seized and 
carried away by the thumb and lower part of 
the first finger of the right hand (Fig. 12). 

As already stated in the description of the 
Top Change, there must not be the slightest lin- 



FIG. 12. 

gering, while the hands are placed together for 
that very short period of time necessary to exe- 
cute the change. In the same manner as the 



24 


CARD TRICKS 


“Top Change’ ’ this sleight is generally accom- 
panied and disguised by an auxiliary movement 
of the body from the right towards the left. 


THE NEW TOP CHANGE. 

The performer seizes the card, say the six of 
Diamonds, that he is about to exchange for the 
top card of the pack, between the thumb and 



fig. 13. 

fingers of the right hand, holding the pack in the 
left hand as shown in Fig. 13, the top card of 
the pack being slightly pushed over towards the 
right hand by means of the left thumb. 



HOW TO DO THEM 


25 


The conjurer thus first shows the Six of Dia- 
monds to the spectators sitting to his right, then 
to the ones directly opposite him, and, finally to 
the persons to his left. After having done so, 
he apparently places the card on the table to his 
right, but in the act of passing the right hand 



fig. 14. 

over the pack in the left, the Six of Diamonds is 
left on top of the latter, the Ace of Hearts 
being noiselessly seized instead and placed on the 
table. 


THE MEXICAN TURN OYER. 

This excellent and very useful sleight is so far 



2G 


CARD TRICKS 


but little known in conjuring circles in this 
country. It is, however, extensively used, in 
Mexico, where professional gamblers employ it 
almost exclusively in playing Three Card Monte. 
The purpose of the sleight is to change a card 
lying on the table for one held in the performer’s 
hand. 

The method of procedure is as follows : The 
card in the right hand is held between the first 
and second fingers, the second fingers resting 
on the back of the card. Holding the latter in 
this manner, at an angle of about 45 degrees, the 
conjurer pushes its side under the card on the 
table, thereby appearing to turn over the latter. 
As, however, the card in the hand has reached 
half way under the one on the table, the 
exchange is deftly made, the right thumb draw- 
ing up the card from the table, and the fingers 
releasing the other card instead, turning it over 
at the same time. 

The sleight is not at all difficult to acquire, but 
must be quickly performed, in which case the 
illusion will be found to be an excellent one. 


THE EXCELSIOR CHANGE 

This indetectable change is, no doubt, the 
best of all changes that have been invented up 
to the present day. The beauty of the sleight 


bow to t)o Them 27 

lies in the deliberateness and apparent fairness 
with which it is executed. 

In performing it, the selected card is secretly 
brought to the top of the pack, being easily 
retained there by means of a False Shuffle. The 
performer with his right hand now takes off the 
two top cards, placing the pack on the table and 
keeping the two cards well and closely together, 
holding them lengthwise between the thumb and 



fig. 15. 

middle finger. Exhibiting them as one card, he 
asks the persons whether this is his card, the 
answer of course being in the negative, the per- 
son only seeing the face of the bottom card, 
behind which the selected one is hidden. 



28 CARD TRICKS 

The conjurer now pretends to transfer the 
card to the left hand, but this is what he really 
does : He moves the right hand over towards the 
left, the thumb of this hand being placed on the 
top card and the fingers on the bottom one. 
Now, by means of the thumb, the top card, that 
is, the selected one, is drawn into the left hand, 
while under cover of this, the lower card is 
pushed into the right hand and palmed there 
(Fig. 15). 

The palming of this card is materially assisted 
by the middle hnger of the left hand, which 
pushes the card into the palm of the right. To 
conceal the palmed card, the wand- is picked up 
with the right hand, or the pack is seized with it, 
the palmed card being thereby left on its top. 

If these movements, which are not nearly as 
complicated as they appear to be, are executed 
in a natural and deliberate manner, the decep- 
tion created will be as perfect a one as the per- 
former desires. 


THE COLOR CHANGE 

The Color Change is a novel and illusive 
sleight, by the aid of which the front card of the 
pack, which is held in the right hand, is myster- 
iously transformed into another card, generally 
a selected one. This change takes place under 


HOW TO DO THEM 


29 



cover of the left hand., which is shown to be 
empty prior to being placed over the cards, and 
also after the transformation has taken place. 


fig. 16. 

FIRST METHOD. 

The pack is held in a perpendicular position 
between the thumb and middle finger of the 
right hand, as indicated in Fig. 16. The fingers 
of the left hand are, for a moment only, placed 
over the cards, the thumb resting on the back 
of the pack. As this hand is taken away with a 
slight downward movement, the rear card of the 
pack is carried along with it, (Fig. 17) being 
clipped between the root of the thumb and that 
of the first finger. 



30 


CARD TRICKS 


As the front card of the pack is still in its 
place, no one will attach any suspicion to this 
movement, which practically resembles an indi- 
catory gesture. The left hand is then, a moment 
later, replaced on the pack and this time leaves 



fig. 17. 

the palmed card on the top of the latter. The 
hand is then removed and the transformation of 
the front card is seen to have taken place. 


HOW TO DO THEM 


31 


SECOND METHOD 

This is a variation of, or, rather an improve- 
ment on the last sleight, as in this method the 
pack is held in a more natural and easy manner, 
as shown in Fig. 18. It will be noticed that 
instead of being held perpendicularly, the posi- 
tion of the pack in this case is almost a hori- 
zontal one. As the right hand, which has prev- 
iously been shown empty, passes over the pack 
with an upward movement, it seizes and carries 



fig. 18. 

away the rear card of the pack, clipping it 
between the root of the thumb and first finger 
(Fig. 19). The hand is then replaced on the 
pack and the palmed card left there. 



32 


CARD TRICKS 



FIG. 19. 

THIRD METHOD. 

In this version of the Color Change, the pack 
is held in a horizontal position in the left hand, 
the thumb of the latter being kept at one side 
of the pack, the first finger on the back and the 
remaining fingers at the other side of the cards. 

The right hand now covers the pack, for a 
moment only, or more properly speaking, passes 
over it. Under cover of this movement, the first 
finger of the left hand pushes the rear card of 
the pack forward, it being received and palmed 
by the right hand during its transit. The execu- 
tion of the sleight will be facilitated if the tip 
of the first finger of the left hand is slightly 



HOW TO DO THEM 


33 



moistened previous to the trick. Fig. 20 gives 
a rear view of the operation. The act of pass- 
ing the right hand, which has previously been 
shown empty, across the pack, must be made to 
appear a gesture of no particular importance. 


fig. 20. 

The hand in which the card is placed is then 
replaced upon the pack a moment later and the 
card left on the top, after which process the 
change is exhibited. 

FOURTH METHOD 

Here we have an entirely different manner of 
accomplishing the Color Change. In this 
method, one hand only, which holds the pack, is 



34 


CARD TRICKS 


used. While every one is looking at the front 
card of the latter, it is seen to suddenly trans- 
form itself into an entirely different one. 

The pack is firmly held in the left hand, 



fig. 21. 

between the root of the thumb and the first 
joints of the first and second fingers (Fig. 21). 
The thumb then pushes the first card, the Five 
of Clubs, upwards about one and a half inches, 
pulls it over towards the left side, and then slips 



HOW TO DO THEM 


35 


the card on the back of the pack, where it is 
held clipped betwen the first joint of the thumb 
and the lower joint of the first finger (Fig. 22). 
The operation is generally covered by a rapid 
rotary gesture of the hand. 

Besides being very useful in effecting a visible 
change of a card, this sleight may be employed 



FIG. 22. 

to excellent advantage in making a sort of a slip 
pass, whereby the top card of the pack, the back 
of which is turned towards the spectators, is 
transferred to the bottom without their being 
aware of the fact. 




3G 


CARD TRICKS 


THE CARD PALM 

By the Card Palm is understood the method 
of secretly removing one or more cards from the 
top of the pack and holding them concealed on 
the hand. 


THE REGULAR PALM 

To Secretly obtain possession of a selected 
card which has been brought to the top of the 
pack by means of the pass, the following course 
is usually adopted : The pack is held in the left 
hand, the back of the cards, of course, being up- 
permost. The right hand is then placed length- 
wise over the pack, while at the same time the 
left thumb pushes the top card of the pack over 
into the right, which seizes the card and is then 
partly closed just enough to give it a natural ap- 
pearance. Fig. 23 shows the manner in which 
the card is held, resting against the slightly bent 
first joints of the second and third fingers and 
the root of the thumb. 

The right hand is now carelessly dropped to 
the side or placed on the hip, while with the left 
hand the pack is handed to a spectator with the 
request to shuffle it. A still better, but much 
bolder plan, is to sieze the pack with the same 
hand in which the card is concealed and in this 
fashion hand it out to be shuffled, the left hand 
being casually shown empty during the maneuver, 


HOW TO DO THEM 


37 


The proper way in which to hold the pack for 
this purpose, is to grasp it between the first joint 
of the thumb and the lower joint of the first 
finger of the right hand, the inside of which is 
turned toward the floor. Care must be taken 
to hold the fingers of this hand closely together, 
so that the spectator, to whom the pack is given, 
cannot get a glimpse of an accidentally exposed 



fig. 23. 

part of the palmed card. When the pack has 
been returned to the conjurer, the latter receives 
it with the left hand and carelessly passing the 
right hand over it, leaves the palmed card on the 

Most performers have a habit of ruffling the 



38 


card tricks 


pack just after the palmed card has been re- 
placed. I would warn the reader against the 
acquirement of this habit, as the ruffling gener- 
ally conveys the impression that some subtle 
sleight is taking place, or that it has already been 
executed, being disguised by the Ruffle. 

It is my opinion that a performer of artistic 
inclinations ought to appear to manipulate the 
cards in as natural a way as any other gentle- 
man, who is not a conjurer, would do. All flour- 
ishes, as palming off part of the pack and repro- 
ducing it, making single handed passes to show 
off one’s dexterity, etc., ought to be studiously 
avoided, as they only tend to create the impres- 
sion that the conjurer is past master in the art 
of handling the pasteboards. Once this last 
named impression has been made, the spectator 
will readily conclude, after seeing the artist per- 
form some difficult and intricate card tricks, that 
it is no wonder such marvelous results can be 
attained when one can manipulate the cards as 
dexterously as the conjurer did a while ago. 
Thus the effect of the trick proper is greatly 
impaired by the injudicious introduction of 
superfluous sleights which precede it. 


THE BUATIER PALM 

This sleight, which, to the best of my knowl- 
edge, is the invention of Mr. Buatier Dekolta, is 


HOW TO DO THEM 


39 


a vast improvement over the palm just described, 
as in this case the pack is never touched with 
the right hand at all. The pack is held in the 
left hand, the cards to be palmed being divided 
off from the rest of the pack by the little finger, 
which is inserted there. They are kept down 
on the pack proper by pressure of the remaining 
fingers. As the right hand, under any plausible 
pretext, passes over the left, the pressure of the 
fingers ceases, while at the same time the little 
finger tilts the first card lying above it upwards, 
the cards being thereby rapidly and invisibly 
propelled into the right hand, which instantly 
palms them. 


THE BACK HAND PALM 

The Sleight, or rather flourish, of this title 
has of late years become quite popular with the 
conjurers of this country, some of whom have 
attained a wonderful proficiency in performing 
it, having elaborated the original idea consider- 
ably. I shall give a full description of the 
sleight proper, but can only treat the elabora- 
tions in brief for the simple reason that, on 
account of their great difficulty, they would be 
appreciated by a select few only. As the name 
of the sleight indicates, one or more cards are 
palmed, or rather, kept concealed on the back 


40 


CARD TRICKS 


of the hand, being transferred there from the 
front of the hand. The card is first seized 
between the thumb and first finger of the right 
(or left) hand, the inside of which is turned 
towards the audience. From this place it is 



fig. 24. 


transferred to the position shown in Fig. 24, 
being held between the first and fourth fingers, 
its lower end being bent into a convex form as 
indicated in the illustration. The second and 
third fingers, which have remained passive up to 
this moment, now curl under the lower edge of 
the card (Fig. 25) and twirl it over to the back 
of the hand, where it is held as shown in Fig. 26. 
By reversing the process, the card is made to 
appear at the finger tips. 


HOW TO DO THEM 


41 


My readers will of course understand that, as 
the execution of the sleight takes but a moment, 
the four different stages, or moves are practically 
made to form one compound movement only. 

The improvements of this sleight consist of 
being able to show the hand empty from both 
sides and still have the card palmed anyway. In 
the act of turning over the hand, in order to 



fig. 25. 

show that the card is not concealed on its back, 
it is removed from there, and by a very adroit 
process, which is almost impossible to describe, 
is brought back to the inside of the hand, where 
it is palmed by clipping its upper corners 
between the first and second, and the third and 



4 : 


CARD TRICKS 



fourth fingers respectively. From this position 
it is instantly transferred once more to the back 
of the hand. 

By dint of considerable practice, some per- 
formers are enabled to palm a number of cards 


fig. 26 . 

in this fashion, then produce one card after 
another at the finger tips, still showing both 
sides of the hands empty at any stage of the 
trick. 


NEW THOUGHT CARD SLEIGHTS 

In describing the following entirely new meth- 
ods of discovering the name of a card, that a 



HOW TO DO THEM 


43 


spectator has secretly thought of, I take great 
pleasure in making my readers acquainted with 
some of the most interesting and indetectable 
sleights in the whole range of conjuring. 

FIRST METHOD 

In this form of the trick the performer takes 
a pack of cards that has just been shuffled by a 
spectator and holding the cards, of the order of 
which he has absolutely no knowledge, in the 
right hand, with the backs of the cards towards 
himself, passes them one at a time into the left 
hand, at the same time requesting a spectator to 
think of any card that he desires. After the 
person has signified that he has made a selection, 
the performer closes up the pack and gives it a 
thorough shuffle. He now finishes the trick in 
any manner that he chooses, producing, for 
instance, the thought card at any number called 
for, or causing any card that some one else 
selects at random from the pack, to change into 
a thought card. 

The secret of this entirely new dodge, depends 
practically upon a novel application of the Mind 
Reading Act, a la Bishop and Cumberland. As 
the performer deliberately passes the cards from 
the right hand to the left, he counts them, at the 
same time carefully watching the eyes of the 
spectator, to whom he is rather close. It is a 
curious fact, that as soon as the latter has made 


44 


CARD TRICKS 


a silent choice, his eyes will give a recognition of 
that fact by the glance losing its intensity. The 
conjurer can thus invariably tell which card has 
been selected, and having kept tally on the num- 
ber of cards passed, knows its exact position in 
the pack. It is a comparatively easy matter for 
him to make the pass at this place, thereby 
bringing the desired card to the top of the pack, 
which is next subjected to a vigorous but false 
shuffle. The finish of the trick, which is optional 
with the performer, ought to be made as brilliant 
a one as possible. 

SECOND METHOD 

The conjurer employing this plan of discover- 
ing a card secretly thought of, is apt to be sus- 
pected of being in league with his satanic 
majesty, for he takes an unprepared pack of 
cards that has just been shuffled, and without as 
much as glancing at one of the cards, places the 
pack behind his back, which he turns towards 
the spectators. Passing the cards from one 
hand to the other, he invites a spectator to think 
of one of them; then closing up the pack, and 
after shuffling it, produces the selected card in 
any way that he sees fit. 

This method, which is entirely different in 
principle to the preceding one, depends mainly 
upon a novel way of forcing a card. As the 
conjurer rather rapidly passes the cards from 


HOW TO 1)0 THEM 


45 


one hand into the other, he keeps the attention 
of the spectator engaged by about the following 
remark: “Now, sir, as I pass these cards from 
one hand into the other in this fashion, please 
have the kindness to think of one of the cards. 
The moment that he exclaims ‘ * think, ’ ’ he stops 
for an instant only, fully exposing the face of 
the card that he is about to transfer, then actu- 
ally placing it in the other hand and passing the 
remaining cards in rather quick succession on 
top of it. The person will, in almost every case, 
select the card that the performer has made a 
brief stop at, for the very simple reason that he 
did not know to a certainty what the conjurer 
wished him to do until the latter came to the 
word “think,” of the short sentence he uttered. 
It is also almost impossible for him to select any 
of the cards that follow the one that the per- 
former intends to force, because they are inten- 
tionally passed too quickly before his eyes. 

The artist, who has slipped the little finger of 
the left hand above the forced card while trans- 
ferrino* it to the other hand, closes up the pack, 
and in the act of turning around, makes the 
pass, thereby bringing the card to the top ot 
the pack. Palming off this card, he allows the 
pack to be thoroughly shuffled, replacing t e 
palmed card after it has been returned to him 
and then finishes the trick m any way he may 
choose. 


CARD TRICKS 


46 

THIRD METHOD. 

The ruse employed in this version of the feat 
is really as ingenious as the preceding one. 

The performer advances towards a spectator 
and, holding the pack with the faces of the cards 
towards himself, causes them to spring from one 
hand to the other in the manner familiar to all 
conjurers. At the same time he requests a spec- 
tator to think of any of the cards that he sees. 
The gentleman does as requested and is very 
much surprised, when a few moments later the 
conjurer produces, in some mysterious manner, 
the card that he actually selected. 

In this case another novel force, resembling in 
principle the preceding one, is used. It is prac- 
tically impossible for the spectator to note, in 
particular, any of the cards as they are sprung 
from one hand to the other, for the very reason 
that they pass before his eye in too quick a suc- 
cession to each other. When about half of the 
cards have been sprung, the performer stops for 
an instant, say a quarter of a second, thereby 
causing an extremely brief cessation of the 
springing and thus causing the last card that has 
been sprung, to be more fully exposed than any 
of the others. The spectator readily grasps the 
chance offered to him and selects this card which 
the performer, who quickly places his little finger 
over it, sees as well as he. The rest of the cards 
are then sprung on top of the other ones in the 


HOW TO DO THEM 


47 


usual fashion, whereupon the pack is closed and 
the pass made, whereby the chosen card is 
brought to the top of the pack, the performer 
then dealing with it as best suits the occasion. 


THE NEW GLIMPSE 

By the Glimpse is understood the very advan- 
tageous sleight of secretly getting sight of a 
selected card which has been placed in the pack, 
or of a card preparatory to forcing it. 

FIRST METHOD 

In this, the regular form of the sleight, the 
little finger of the left hand is inserted below the 
chosen card, while the latter is being returned to 
the pack, the remaining fingers of the same hand 
resting on the top of the cards. In the act of 
handing the cards to a spectator to shuffle, the 
performer slightly raises the upper one of the 
two packets and thus obtains a rapid glimpse of 
the lowest card in the upper heap, which card 
is the selected one. The spectators may now 
shuffle the cards as long as they may desire, 
without incommoding the conjurer, who, know- 
ing the name of the card chosen, is enabled to 
discover it with the greatest of ease. 


48 


CARD TRICKS 


SECOND METHOD 

This method of getting a glimpse of a card will 
prove of great advantage in any trick where it 
is necessary to force a card, for the sole reason 
of being able to have the pack shuffled, after 
the forced card has been replaced in the pack, 
which is generally handed to a spectator for this 
purpose. This sleight does away with the usual 
forcing of the bottom card of the pack, which 
card the performer has previously noted. The 
objection to the last mode is that a sharp specta- 
tor may also have seen this particular card, and 
noting that the selected card is identical with the 
former bottom card of the pack, thus obtains a 
partial clue to the modus operandi. 

In order to execute the sleight, the performer 
holds the pack in the first position necessary for 
the making of the Charlier Pass, only more per- 
pendicularly. In the act of advancing towards 
a certain spectator, he allows the lower half of 
the pack to drop down (or to second position of 
the Charlier pass) and is thus afforded a rapid 
glimpse of the bottom card of the upper heap, 
which is instantly dropped back on the lower 
packet, a step being, however, formed by the 
two, enabling the conjurer to tell the joint of 
division of the two packets. The pack is then 
spread out in the usual fashion and the card 
that the performer got sight of, is forced with- 
out the least trouble. 


HOW TO DO THEM 


49 


it must be understood that it takes but a frac- 
tion of a second in which to accomplish the entire 
sleight, which, if adroitly performed, is practi- 
cally unnoticeable. 

THIRD METHOD. 

This very natural way of obtaining a glimpse 
of a selected card, is in many ways to be prefer- 
red to all others. The performer holds the pack 
in his left hand, the thumb lying across the back 
of the cards, the fingers being kept at the oppo- 
site side of the pack. The right hand then 
seizes the top edge of the latter and bending the 
cards backwards, allows them to escape in rota- 
tion, thus making practically a Ruffle. The 
person holding the selected card is invited to 
insert it into the pack during the ruffle. He does 
so, but will find it impossible to push the card 
all the way home, the card protruding about a 
quarter of an inch. The performer continues 
until all the cards have been ruffled and then 
transfers the pack to the left hand, the right 
turning it over during the transit, thus allowing 
him to obtain a glimpse of the protruding upper 
portion of the selected card. The indicator 
printed in the left corner of the latter instantly 
betrays to him the name of the card. With the 
right hand, the pack is then given to a spectator 
with the request to shuffle it thoroughly. 

A somewhat similar sleight is the following 


50 


CARD TRICKS 


one, in which the conjurer obtains sight of the 
card above the selected one, being enabled to 
pick out the latter later on by the aid of this 
knowledge. For this purpose he proceeds in 
exactly the same manner as described, holding 
the pack, back uppermost, in the left hand and 
ruffling the cards with the right, bending them 
well backwards so that he can just see the indi- 
cator of each card as it passes. The selected 
card is now inserted into any place of the pack 
that the gentleman fancies, the performer noting 
carefully the indicator of the next card above 
it, thus becoming, to all intents and purposes, 
acquainted with the name of the chosen card 
itself. 


THE BRIDGE 

Gamblers use the bridge extensively in caus- 
ing their opponent to cut the cards at a certain 
place desired by the operator, whereas in con- 
juring, the bridge serves principally to discover 
by its aid, a selected card, which has been 
replaced and shuffled into the pack by the spec- 
tators themselves. 

As this result cannot be attained by any other 
method, unless prepared cards are used, the use- 
fulness of the sleight will readily be perceived. 
Holding the pack in the left hand, the thumb 


HOW TO DO THEM 


51 


resting across the back of the cards, the per- 
former seizes the upper and lower ends of the 
pack and gives the cards a sharp bend towards 
himself. A spectator is then invited to choose 
any card that he desires and told to look at it 
closely, so that he will be sure to recognize it. 

While he does so the conjurer gives the pack 
another bend, this time in opposite direction to 
the first bend. The pack is then handed to the 
spectator with the request to replace his card and 
after shuffling the pack thoroughly, to return it 
to the performer. As soon as the latter receives 
the pack, he holds it rather loosely and will now 
find that owing to the different curve of the 
selected card, the pack will open itself at the 
very spot where this card is located. It is an 
easy matter for him to insert the little finger at 
this place, then making the pass and bringing 
the selected card to the top of the pack, after 
which he proceeds with the trick in any manner 
that he desires. 


THE PREARRANGED PACK 

As the title indicates, the cards contained in 
the pack are, previous to the performance, placed 
in a certain regular order which the performer 
knows by heart. To facilitate the memorizing 
and recalling of this order, a sort of formula 


52 


CARD TRICKS 


or artificial aid to memory is generally employed, 
the most popular one being the following: 

Eight kings threatened to save, 

Eight, King, Three, Ten, Two, Seven, 
Ninety-five queens for one sick knave. 

Nine, Five, Queen, Four, One Six, Knave. 

The words of this verse suggest, as will be 
observed, the values of the cards printed below 
them. The performer must also have a regular 
order of the four suits, as, for instance : Hearts, 
Clubs, Diamonds, Spades. Thus, the first cards 
of the prearranged pack would be: Eight of 
Hearts, King of Clubs, Three of Diamonds, Ten 
of Spades, Two of Hearts, Seven of Clubs, etc., 
the last card being the Knave or J ack of Spades. 

A number of capital tricks explained in this 
book, depend exclusively upon the use of the 
prearranged pack. When the reader, who is 
advised to get up a formula of his own, arrives 
at the description of these tricks, he will readily 
observe the many ways in which the prearranged 
pack may be employed to good advantage. 


THE GLIDE 

The glide is a simple but useful form of the 
Change, whereby the bottom card of the pack is 


HOW TO DO THEM 


53 


apparently removed and placed on the table, the 
performer however taking the second card from 
the bottom instead. 

He first holds the pack in a perpendicular 
position, thus exhibiting the bottom card. The 



fig. 27. 

hand is then lowered to a horizontal position, 
whereupon the bottom card is apparently re- 
moved. What really takes place is that, by 
means of the previously moistened third finger, 



54 


CARD TRICKS 


the lowest card is drawn toward the performer 
for about an inch and the next card, in our 
illustration (Fig. 27) the Six of Clubs, is taken 
instead and placed on the table. 


THE REVOLUTION 

In this sleight, which is mostly used as a finale 
to a card trick, the pack, which is held face 
downwards, is then dropped on the floor or table, 
whereby a card, usually a selected one, appears 
at the top of the pack, reversing itself during 
this operation so that it now lies face upper- 
most. 

The selected card is first brought to the top 
of the pack by means of the pass, being retained 
in this position by a False Shuffle. The per- 
former then transfers the pack from the left 
hand to the right, during this act pushing the 
top card of the pack over toward the right by 
means of the left thumb. The right hand now, 
with some force, drops the pack on the table 
from a height of about two feet. The pressure 
of the air, acting on the protruding portion of 
the top card, causes the latter to turn over so 
that it now lies face upwards. 

There are several novel tricks which depend 
altogether on this sleight. One of them is the 
following : 


HOW TO DO THEM 


55 


A card is chosen and placed on the table by 
the performer, who then drops the pack upon 
the chosen card, which apparently jumps to the 
top of the pack, turning face upwards during 
this evolution. 

This rather neat trick depends upon the clever 
execution of the Top Change and the Revolu- 
tion. After the chosen card has been exhibited, 
the performer changes it for another card by 
means of the Top Change, then placing the sub- 
stitute on the table. Getting the pack into the 
position necessary for the Revolution, he drops 
it directly on the card on the table, causing the 
upper card, which is really the selected one, to 
turn over. 

In the second trick, the chosen card, after the 
False Shuffle, is left the second one from the top 
of the pack. The latter is then dropped on the 
table, the uppermost card being made to turn 
over. The performer asks if this is the desired 
card and appears to be surprised at learning 
that such is not the case. He then states that 
having committed this error, he will try to rem- 
edy it by causing the wrong card to visibly 
change into the chosen one. For this purpose, 
he removes the top card, carrying with and hid- 
den behind it, the selected card. Both cards, 
which the audience believes to be one, are 
replaced in their original position on the top of 
the pack, being allowed to protrude a little at 


56 


CARD TRICKS 


one side of the latter. The pack is now rather 
vehemently thrown on the table, thereby causing 
both top cards to turn over, the wrong card thus 
visibly changes into the right one. 


FALSE SHUFFLING 

False shuffles are of two kinds, the object of 
one being to keep in view one or several cards 
only, while the remainder of the pack is given a 
genuine shuffle. By means of the other False 
Shuffle the entire pack, which is generally pre- 
arranged, is kept in the same order throughout. 
r Ihe various methods by which this latter result 
may be accomplished will be described first. 


THE CUT 

The simplest form of the False Shuffle is the 
cutting of the pack in whist fashion, by taking 
off the upper half of the pack, placing it on the 
table and placing the lower half of the pack on 
top of it. By this process the cards are only cut, 
but not shuffled, for when the former bottom 
card is found and all cards below it are placed on 
top of the pack, the latter will be restored to its 
original order. As well known as this fact is 
among conjurers, it is astonishing how little the 
general public is acquainted with it. 


HOW TO DO THEM 


57 


In order to thoroughly deceive even the per- 
sons that are acquainted with this principle of 
the simple cut, the modern conjurer divides the 
pack into either three, four or five heaps, which 
he places together in such an irregular order that 
one who has not actually tried the same process, 
will be positive that the cards have become hope- 
lessly mixed. As this is, however, not the con- 
jurer’s intention, I hasten to make my reader 
acquainted with the modus operandi, so that he 
can go and do likewise. Supposing that the 
pack has been divided into three heaps, which 
we will call A, B and C, and which are placed on 
the table as follows: 


C. 


B. 


A. 


Lower Heap. Middle Heap. Upper Heap. 

Heap A is placed on C, and B on A and C, 
which process will be found to preserve the ori- 
ginal order of the cards. 

For four heaps: 


A. 

Lower Heap. 


B. 

Second Heap. 


C. 


D. 


Third Heap. 


Upper Heap. 


58 


CARD TRICKS 


C. is placed on B, A on D, CB on AD ; or, A 
on D, B on AD, BAD on C. 

For five or more heaps : 

The Pack is placed on the table at A, a few 
cards are taken from the top and are placed at 
B ; a few more are taken from A and placed at 

C, the same process being repeated with D and 
E. A is then quickly placed on B, B on C, C on 

D, and D, on E. If these ingenious and very 
useful methods of cutting have been well prac- 
ticed and can be performed rapidly, both hands 
being used at the same time, the conjurer may 
be sure that there isn’t the slightest doubt in the 
minds of his spectators, that the pack has not 
been thoroughly shuffled. 


SHUFFLING THE ENTIRE PACK 

As this method of apparently shuffling the 
entire pack is by far the best of all existing 
False Shuffles, the beginner need not trouble 
himself with learning any other method, as this 
one and a judicious combination of the various 
trick Cuts, will answer for all occasions. 

The prearranged cards, the order of which the 
conjurer does not wish to disturb by shuffling, 
are held in the left hand, the thumb of which 
begins the false shuffle by pushing a number of 
cards, which we will call A, into the right hand. 


HOW TO DO THEM 


59 


Now, from the bottom of the pack remaining in 
the left hand which we will call B, a number of 
cards are passed upon the top of A. A few cards 
from the top of B are then transferred to the 
bottom of A, the performer continuing in this 
manner until all the cards have been successively 
passed from the left into the right hand. If 
desired this apparent shuffle may he repeated a 
few times. If it is smoothly and rapidly exe- 
cuted, the illusion will be found to be all that 
can be desired. 


FOR ONE CARD 

In this method, one particular card only, is to 
be kept in view, said card having been brought 
to the top by means of the pass. The pack is 
then taken in the left hand, the thumb of which 
rests on the back of cards while the fingers are 
placed underneath. Exercising a slight pressure 
Avith the thumb on the top card, the performer 
seizes the pack with the right hand and lifts off 
all cards excepting the top one which is thereby 
brought to the bottom, the cards held in the 
right hand being then promiscuously shuffled on 
top of it. 

Taking the entire pack in the right, he shuffles 
it back into the left hand, dropping off the cards 
in heaps from the top of the pack, continuing to 


60 


CARD TRICKS 


do so until the last card, which is the desired one, 
is reached, which is then placed in its former 
position on the top of the pack. If two cards 
are to be kept in view, one of them is made to 
occupy the bottom and the other the top of the 
pack, which as before is held in the same posi- 
tion in the left hand. Slightly pressing with the 
fingers and the thumb of the left at the same 
time, the right hand lifts up the pack with the 
exception of the top and bottom cards. The top 
card is thereby brought directly over the bottom 
one, and the remainder of the pack is now 
shuffled indiscriminately on top of both. The 
right hand then lifts up the entire pack with 
the exception of the bottom card and shuffles the 
pack on top of it, passing the cards in small 
heaps from the top of the pack, until the last 
card is reached. It will be found, that by means 
of this process, both the bottom and the top card, 
have returned to their original place. 

Another simple, and little known plan is to 
have the desired card on the top of the pack, 
which is then divided into two equal parts, which 
are then sprung or “riffled” into each other in 
the well known manner adopted by most card 
players in this country. It will be found a very 
easy matter to retain the top card or cards in 
their respective places, as the “riffle” need only 
affect the middle and lower part of both heaps. 


HOW TO DO THEM 


61 


PENETRATION OF MATTER 
FIRST METHOD 

The following trick, which originated in this 
city several years ago, has since then become 
popular with conjurers the world over, being no 
doubt one of the best of latter-day tricks. I 
can conscientiously advise my readers who, until 
to-day were unacquainted with the trick, to add 
it to their repertory. 



After a card has been chosen and shuffled back 
into the pack, the latter is enclosed in a borrowed 
handkerchief, which is held by its upper ends, 
as illustrated in Fig. 28. Tapping with his 


62 


CARD TRICKS 


wand against the card in the handkerchief, the 
performer states that he will cause the selected 
card to separate itself from its mates and to 
visibly penetrate the fabric. While he is ex- 
plaining this, and tapping the pack with the 
wand at the same time, the chosen card, the name 
of which the conjurer has previously asked for, 
is observed to gradually force itself out through 
the handkerchief. It is seen to protrude further 
and further until the entire card becomes visible 
and at last flutters to the floor. The handker- 
chief is instantly opened out and the cards con- 
tained in it removed, no trace of any prepara- 
tion, whatever, being noticeable. The pack is 
then examined and the selected card is found to 
be missing from it. 

After the card has been chosen, the gentleman 
is requested to return it to the center of the pack, 
whereupon the conjurer makes the pass, thereby 
bringing it to the top and then palming it in his 
right hand over which he now spreads the previ- 
ously borrowed handkerchief, arranging the lat- 
ter in such a way that its center is directly over 
the palmed card, which is thus hidden beneath 
it. Placing the remainder of the pack in the 
middle of the handkerchief, exactly above the 
palmed card, the performer folds the front half 
of it toward himself. Now seizing the pack and 
the handkerchief with left hand, he passes the 
right hand along it, thereby folding the loose 


HOW TO DO THEM 


63 


portions of the handkerchief over towards the 
back and then seizes it by its four corners, the 
chosen card being by this operation held in the 
folds of the handkerchief, as illustrated in Fig. 
29, which, as my reader will perceive, is a rear 
view of the position of the handkerchief and 
card. It will now be found, that by hitting the 



fig. 29. 

cards in the handkerchief short, quick taps with 
the wand, the concealed card will become dis- 
lodged and gradually make its appearance with 
a mystifying effect. 



64 


CARD TRICKS 


MAGIC VERSUS MNEMONICS 

A very clever trick, apparently depending 
upon a phenomenal memory possessed by the con- 
jurer, is the following one which as the title 
indicates is accomplished by the aid of trickery 
alone, the pretense of mnemonics being only 
part of the mise en scene. 

The performer commences the experiment by 
distributing at random thirty-two slips of paper 
numbered successively from one to thirty-two. 
Each spectator that gets a slip, takes at the 
same time a card from the Euchre or Piquet 
pack of thirty-two cards, that the performer 
holds on a tray. After all the slips and cards 
have been distributed in this manner, he retires 
to the stage and requests each spectator to call 
out the name of his card and number of slip, at 
the same time asking him to write the name of 
his card on the slip, so that it will not be for- 
gotten. This is heard by the performer’s assist- 
ant, who is stationed behind the wings, or a 
screen, or in an adjoining room. 

In the assistant’s possession is a duplicate 
pack of cards, arranged systematically on the 
table. As soon as the spectator holding slip No. 
1 calls out his card and number of slip, the 
assistant places a duplicate of this card on place 
1 of the following table, the second card is laid 
on place No. 2, etc. After all of the cards have 
been called out he gathers up the four rows, 


HOW TO DO THEM 


65 


commencing with 32 and finishing with 16 as 
the last card. 


32 

1 

17 

Table. 

2 25 

3 

18 

4 

29 

5 

19 

6 

26 

7 

20 

8 

31 

9 

21 

10 

27 

11 

22 

12 

30 

13 

23 

14 

28 

15 

24 

16 


Requesting a spectator to collect all the cards 
that were distributed, the performer retires for 
a moment to fetch a handkerchief, bringing with 
him the assistant’s pack, which he has palmed. 
Receiving the cards, the spectator collected, he 
places them on top of the palmed pack, both 
being divided by the little finger, which is 
inserted between them. At a suitable moment 
he takes off the top pack, which as will be re- 
membered, contains the collected cards, secretly 
disposing of these by dropping them into the 
profonde or on the servante of a chair or tables. 
Spreading out the prearranged pack, he shows 
that it is well mixed and then covers it with the 
handkerchief, under cover of which he transfers 
the top card No. 32 to the bottom of the pack 
and producing the next card No. 1 from under- 
neath the handkerchief, holds it up, without 
exhibiting its face however, and asks: “What 
card does the gentleman, who holds slip No. 1 
wish to see?” The name of the card desired is 


66 


CARD TRICKS 


given, whereupon the performer turns over the 
one in his hand and shows it to be the card men- 
tioned. Replacing his hand under the handker- 
chief, he draws off the top card (No. 17 of the 
pack) and placing it on the bottom, produces the 
next, second card, after first requesting the spec- 
tator to call out its name, continuing in this man- 
ner until all the thirty-two cards have been pro- 
duced from underneath the handkerchief in their 
successive order. 


THE QUEEN OF THE AIR 

On two small tables or stands, situated one on 
each side of the stage, are placed two glass 
goblets, which are sufficiently large to admit a 
pack of cards. A card is then selected, returned 
to the pack, and the latter placed in the goblet 
on the left. The performer now commands the 
chosen card to rise out of the pack and to travel 
through the air into the glass on the right. A 
card is then seen to separate from the pack, 
leave it and slowly float in a straight line towards 
the second goblet. While the card is passing 
from one goblet towards the other, the performer 
asks the person if that is the card he selected, 
and receiving a negative answer cummands the 
card to change into the chosen one, which it 
visibly does. Continuing its journey the card 


HOW TO DO THEM 


67 


finally descends into the second goblet, whence 
it is removed by the performer, who shows it 
from both sides. 

Most of my readers will be mildly surprised 
to learn that this rather elaborate effect, can he 
easily performed at a very small outlay of money 
and trouble. For the only properties required 
are two black silk threads, a flap cord and two 
goblets preferably with straight or perpendicu- 



lar sides, especially made for the purpose of 
holding a pack of cards. 

In Fig. 29, the exact arrangement of the vari- 
ous objects is shown. C is a thread, which passes 
from an assistant concealed behind the right 


68 


CARD TRICKS 


wing, through a staple in the floor and then up- 
wards. To its other end is attached a small 
metal clip, which is slipped over the end of the 
mechanical card, in such a manner as to hold 
the flap down and when pulled off by means of 
the thread C, the flap springs back to its normal 
position, changing the face of the card. 

Another thread A is stretched horizontally 
across the stage, one end being held by an assist- 
ant behind the left wing, and the other by the 
assistant on the right, already mentioned. On 
the back of the mechanical card, near its upper 
edge, are glued two small strips or hooks cut 
out of another card with a similar back. These 
strips serve to suspend the card on the thread 
A. These necessary preparations having been 
made, the conjurer forces a card similar to the 
one concealed by the flap of the mechanical 
card. This trick card with its flap held back 
by the metal clip, should be lying face upward, 
on the left stand; its presence here being con- 
cealed by a silk handkerchief carelessly thrown 
over it. 

Returning to the stage with the pack into 
which the selected card has been placed, the per- 
former lays the handkerchief aside and places 
the pack directly over the trick card, then shows 
both goblets proving them unprepared. The 
pack with the mechanical card on its back, is now 
taken up and placed in the left goblet, the assist- 


HOW TO DO THEM 


69 


ants at the same time lowering the thread A 
stretched across the stage from position A to B, 
enabling the performer to secretly slip it under 
the hooks of the rear trick card. At his com- 
mand the assistants simultaneously raise the ends 
of the thread A, and thereby pulling the card 
out of the goblet. The assistant on the right 
slowly draws in his end of the thread, causing 
the card to appear as if floating through the air. 
By the time the card has reached the center of 
the stage it has been declared not the one 
selected. It is commanded to stop and transform 
itself into the desired card. The assistant at this 
moment gives a quick jerk to the thread C, 
thereby disengaging the clip from the card, 
which thus instantly changes to the selected one. 
It is then made to resume its journey and to pass 
into the right goblet, from which it is taken by 
the performer, who in the act of removing the 
card detaches it from the thread and shows it 
to be apparently unprepared. 


THE CARD CAUGHT ON THE PLATE 

The artist requests a gentleman to select from 
the pack any card he may desire and then to 
mark it so that he will be sure to recognize it. 
The same spectator is then handed the pack and 
requested to replace his card and shuffle the 


70 


CARD TRICKS 


cards. The performer next introduces an ordi- 
nary china plate which he freely shows from 
both sides, proving it to be unprepared. He 
now takes the plate in one hand and throws the 
pack in the air with the other. As the cards 
descend in a shower, he makes a lunge among 
them with the plate, upon which he catches the 
chosen card which is given to the spectator, who 
identifies it by his mark. 

The trick is as simple as it is pretty, no previ- 
ous preparation being necessary for its perform- 
ance. Before handing the cards to one of the 
company with the request to select one at ran- 
dom, the performer bends the ends of the pack 
in a downward direction. After a card has been 
removed, and while it is being marked, the con- 
jurer again bends the pack, but in an opposite 
direction, so that after the spectator has re- 
turned his card to the pack, no amount of 
shuffling will prevent the performer from im- 
mediately finding the desired card. It will be 
the only one bent in an opposite way to the 
rest of the cards, the pack opening slightly at 
the very place where this card is situated. After 
inserting the little finger under the chosen card, 
the performer brings it to the top of the pack 
by means of the pass. Then he places the cards, 
for the time being, on the middle of the plate, 
to which he has previously attached a small 
pellet of adhesive wax. By slightly pressing the 


HOW TO DO THEM 


71 


top of the pack, the chosen card on the bottom 
is made to adhere to the plate, which the con- 
jurer then seizes and turning its bottom towards 
the spectators, allows the free cards to slide into 
his hand. They are then thrown into the air, 
the selected card being apparently picked out 
from among them, with the plate. After detach- 
ing the card from the plate, the conjurer secretly 
removes any remaining traces of the wax adher- 
ing perchance to the back of the card, then giv- 
ing the card to the spectator who selected and 
marked it for identification. 


APPARENT SECOND SIGHT 

From an unprepared, preferably borrowed, 
pack of cards, the artist requests the spectators 
to select, during his absence, any number of 
cards, which are to be placed, in a separate heap, 
upon the table and covered with a borrowed 
handkerchief. After the return of the per- 
former, he is blindfolded and the selected cards 
shuffled in the pack which is then given to him. 
Holding the cards behind his back, the conjurer 
then successively produces all of the chosen 
cards. 

The secret of the trick depends upon the use 
of a clever little contrivance, called the Card 
Marker, which will be useful in the course of 


72 


CARD TRICKS 


many other card tricks. The Card Marker, Fig. 
37, consists of the hook (C) and plate (B), to 
which is soldered a needle point (A). To the 
lower end of the plate (B) is fastened a strong 
thread of flesh colored silk, to which in turn is 
attached the elastic cord (E), in the end of 
which a loop is made. To attach the apparatus 



fig. 37. 

to the person, hook C is slipped under a ring 
worn on the third finger of the right hand, the 
thread (D) and elastic (E) being passed up 


HOW TO DO THEM 


73 


the inside of the sleeve to one of the rear sus- 
pender buttons, under which the loop of the 
elastic is engaged. 

After the selected cards have been placed on 
the table and covered by the handkerchief, the 
performer places his hand over them, for an 
instant only, as if to convince himself of their 
presence. This moment suffices for him to press 
the fine needle point of the Card Marker through 
the handkerchief into the cards. By the pass- 
ing of the needle point through the cards, there 
is formed a slight projection, hardly discernible 
to the eye but readily distinguished by the touch. 
After the chosen cards have been shuffled into 
the pack, it is an easy matter for the conjurer 
to pick out, behind his back, the desired cards 
by simply feeling for the projections made by 
the point of the needle. After having suc- 



FIG. 38. 


ceeded in marking the covered cards, the per- 
former detaches hook C, by pushing it out of the 
ring with one of the fingers of the right hand, 
the Card Marker being then instantly pulled 


74 


CARD TRICKS 


inside the sleeve, owing to the action of the 
tightly stretched elastic. 

A more portable form of the Card Marker is 
a Finger Ring, which has a needle point brazed 
to it as shown in Fig. 38. Those of my readers 
who do not wish to incur the expense of pur- 
chasing either form of the contrivance, can sub- 
stitute for the latter a short pin, which can 
easily be concealed between the fingers, its point 
being pressed into the cards in the same manner 
as with the regular contrivances. 


THE ATTACHED CARD 

A spectator is invited to step forward and is 
requested to assist the conjurer in the trick 
about to follow. Introducing an ordinary pack 
of cards the performer asks him to select a 
card, which is, say the Five of Hearts, and to 
return it to the pack which is then shuffled. 
Handing the pack to the spectator, the per- 
former tells him to remove his card from the 
latter, but to his astonishment the gentleman 
finds that the Five of Hearts has mysteriously 
vanished. Both, he and the conjurer institute a 
search for the missing card, which is finally dis- 
covered sticking under the back of the gentle- 
man’s coat collar. 

For this clever sleight of hand trick, it will be 


HOW TO DO THEM 


75 


necessary to have an extra Five of Hearts, plac- 
ing both on top of the pack. As the spectator 
steps forward to assist the performer, the latter 
palms the top card of the pack and while in- 
structing the gentleman, places the hand in 
which the card is palmed, in a confidential man- 
ner on the back of the person and adroitly 
pushes the palmed card partly under his coat 
collar. He then makes the pass, and forces the 
duplicate of the Five of Hearts on the assisting 
spectator, who returns it to the pack. The per- 



FIG. 39. 

former makes the pass, bringing the card to the 
top of the pack and proceeds to give the latter 
a vigorous but false shuffle, keeping the Five of 
Hearts at the top. In handing the pack to the 
gentleman, with the request to pick out his card, 
he palms off the top card and disposes of it 
while the spectator is engaged in looking for 
his card, which of course he is unable to find. 


76 


CARD TRICKS 


The performer who also pretends to be at a 
loss as to the whereabouts of the missing card, 
then asks the person to assist him in the search 
for it. During the search, the spectator is art- 
fully induced by the performer to turn his back 
to the company. They immediately appraise 
him of the presence of the card by their merri- 
ment. The performer then pretends to first dis- 
cover the card, and, after removing it, dismisses 
the gentleman with a hearty handshake, accom- 
panied by the remark that he is evidently some- 
what of a conjurer himself. 


CARDS SHOT AGAINST A HAT 

The performer borrows a silk hat, which he 
places on his table, so that the crown of the 
hat, which has been previously covered by a 
borrowed handkerchief, is turned towards the 
company. Three cards are then selected, and 
after being torn into small pieces by the per- 
sons who drew them, are loaded into the Magic 
Pistol, which the conjurer discharges at the 
hat. After the report of the pistol, the hand- 
kerchief is seen to fall, revealing the three se- 
lected cards, completely restored on the crown 
of the hat. They are removed and the hat is 
returned to its owner with the usual thanks on 
the part of the performer. 


HOW TO DO THEM 


77 


The preparation for this trick consists of 
neatly covering, with newspaper, the backs of 
three cards, duplicates of the ones that the con- 
jurer intends to force. The point of a thumb 
tack is then pushed through the face of the 
middle card (2) in such a way that it will at the 
same time penetrate a corner of cards 1 and 3 
(See Fig. 40). All three are then placed on a 
sheet of paper similar in appearance to the one 
with which they are backed, the paper being then 



placed on the conjurer’s table. Even at a short 
distance it will be impossible to notice the pres- 
ence of the three cards on the paper. 

The crown of the hat is then placed in a 
careless manner directly over these cards, which, 


78 


CARD TRICKS 


by a slight downward pressure on the part of 
the performer, become attached to the hat by 
means of the thumb tack. The handkerchief is 
now placed over the side of the hat in such 
a manner that when the hat is lifted and its 
crown turned towards the company, the hand- 
kerchief will completely hide the preparation. 
While arranging the handkerchief, the conjurer 
secretly attaches to one of its corners a bent pin 
or small sharp hook, to which is fastened a fine 
black thread which passes to an assistant behind 
the scenes. 

The three duplicate cards are then forced, and, 
after having been torn into small pieces, are 
loaded into the barrel of the pistol as described. 
At the moment the latter is discharged, the 
assistant gives a slight pull to the thread, caus- 
irt the handkerchief to drop down, exposing the 
three cards attached to the crown of the hat. 


WAR IN PEACE. 

All magicians are acquainted with the feat 
in which three chosen cards are caught on the 
point of a sword, out of the air, into which the 
pack has been thrown. The cards, which have 
been previously concealed in a receptacle 
attached to the hilt of the sword, are in this 
case pulled to the tip of the latter by means of 
a stout elastic cord. 


HOW TO DO THEM 


79 


As a good sword of this description is qnite 
an expensive article, which, at its best, is obvi- 
ously mechanical and will not bear close inspec- 
tion, I take pleasure in making my readers 
acquainted with a simpler method of doing the 
trick, by which any sword, even a borrowed one, 
may be used. 

Previous to the trick, the conjurer takes four 
cards, and, out of the center of the first one, 
cuts an oval shaped piece a little larger in cir- 
cumference than the tip of the sword which he 
intends to use. In the second card he cuts a hole 
still larger than that in the first one, etc., each of 
the four cards being provided with a larger 
hole than that in the card preceding it. The 
four cards are then connected by a fine black 
thread, an interval of about four inches being 
left between the cards, which the performer then 
conceals in his pochette (a small pocket sewn 
on the rear side of the leg of the trousers) or 
any other convenient part of his person. 

He then forces duplicates of the four prepared 
cards and has them returned to the pack, secretly 
placing on the top of the latter, the four cards 
of his own, which he has in the meantime secretly 
palmed. 

After exhibiting the sword, he takes it in the 
right hand, holding the pack by one corner in 
his left, and, placing the tip of the sword 
against the back of the cards, inserts it in the 


80 


CARD TRICKS 


largest hole of the topmost one. He then pro- 
ceeds to toss the pack into the air, at the same 
time making a lunge with the sword after it. 
The four cards which, owing to the holes in them, 
are retained by the sword, now slide along the 
blade of the latter, the first card remaining near 
the tip, while the others arrange themselves 
along the blade of the sword. 


THOUGHT READING EXTRAORDINARY 

After the spectator has mentally selected a 
card at the request of the conjurer, the latter 
also asks someone to think of a number between 
One and Ten. Both persons are instructed to 
whisper the name of the card and number re- 
spectively, to their neighbor, so that no mistake 
can occur. The performer asks the first gen- 
tleman to state aloud the name of the card of 
which he thought— say, for instance, the Nine 
of Hearts. The second gentleman is then told 
to call out his number, which we will sup- 
pose to be Seven. A disinterested spectator 
is invited to count off seven cards from the top 
of the pack, which during all this time has been 
lying on the table, and to show the next card 
to the company. 

To their astonishment, they discover it to be 
the card thought of, which the artist, without 


HOW TO DO THEM 


81 


approaching the pack, has caused to appear at 
the very number secretly thought of by another 
spectator. 

So much for the effect of the trick, which cer- 
tainly is one of the most mysterious ever in- 
vented. In order to know the card thought of, 
the performer uses of the various expedients 
previously explained under the heading of 
“Sleights/’ then instantly brings the chosen 
card to the top of the pack. While inviting the 
second gentleman to think of a number and to 
whisper it to his neighbor, he quickly counts off 



[♦ *!| 


FIG. 43. 

from the bottom seven cards, and, by means of 
the pass, brings them to the top of the pack, which 
he then places on the table. The chosen card, 
in our supposed case the Nine of Hearts, now 
occupies the eighth place, counted from the top 
of the pack. The gentleman is next requested 
to state the number he thought of, and, in nine 


82 CARD TRICKS 

cases out of ten, it will be found that he has 
thought of number seven, in which instance the 
trick, which is practically finished, proceeds as 
described. If the number eight has been decided 
upon, the gentleman is simply told to turn up 
the eighth card counted from the top of the 
pack. If nine is the selected number, the con- 
jurer himself takes the pack from the table, and 
in the act of handing it to the gentleman, by 
means of the Slip Pass, brings one card from the 
bottom to the top of the pack. If a number 
below seven has been taken, the performer is 
obliged to transfer a corresponding number of 
cards from the top to the bottom of the pack by 
means of the pass. But as I have already re- 
marked, these expedients, although not detract- 
ing to any extent from the merits of the trick, 
will seldomly have to be employed. 


A MYSTERIOUS CHANGE 

A very pretty effect may be obtained by the 
introduction of the following trick. The several 
novel sleights used, ought however to be thor- 
oughly practiced before an attempt is made of 
performing the trick in public. After a card, 
say the King of Hearts, has been chosen and 
returned to the pack, the latter is given a False 
Shuffle, whereby this particular card is left on 


HOW TO DO THEM 


83 


the top of the pack. The conjurer then pretends 
to be able to pick out the chosen card, by run- 
ning his fingers over the top edge of the pack, 
slightly ruffling it and removing the two cards 
on the top, which are the King of Hearts and 
another card, say the Ace of Hearts, which he 
must hold in such a way that the spectators think 
them to be one card only. For this purpose, 
both the cards are held slightly convexed, toward 
the palm, the thumb at the lower end and the 
fingers at the upper end of the cards. Thus 
exhibiting the cards, which to the company ap- 
pear to be but one and that the Ace of Hearts, 



fig. 44 . fig. 45 . 


the performer asks if this is the card selected, 
and upon being told that it is not, replaces the 
card in the middle of the pack held by the other 
hand, allowing it to protrude nearly two inches. 
This is what really takes place : 

The pack itself is held in the extended left 
hand, the thumb of whieh rests on one side of 



84 


CARD TRICKS 


the cards, the first finger at the upper end and 
the remaining fingers at the other side of the 
pack, which faces the palm. In the act of re- 
placing the cards with the right hand, the posi- 
tion of the fingers holding it, is changed, the 
card being now held by its upper end only, the 
thumb and first finger resting on the back of the 
card and the other fingers on the face side or 
bottom. With the left thumb the pack is slowly 
ruffled and the card in the right hand inserted 
sideways. While this is being done, the second 
finger of the right hand pushes the lower one 
of the two cards, that is the Ace of Hearts, 
towards the pack, the first finger of the left 
hand completing the work of imperceptibly 
pushing the card home, leaving the selected card 
to protrude from the rest of the pack. When 
properly executed, this sleight is absolutely invis- 
ible, it being shielded altogether by the upper 
one of; the two cards which, as will be remem- 
bered, is the King of Hearts, although the 
spectators really believe it to be the Ace of 
Hearts. The performer once more asks whether 
the protruding card is not the selected one and 
is told that the selected card has not been 
shown. He then takes the projecting card and 
places it face downwards on the extended hand 
of the gentleman, who is told to breathe upon it, 
when it is thereby apparently transformed into 
the desired one. 


HOW TO DO THEM 


85 


THE CARD AND HANDKERCHIEF 

The following is a neat trick, in which a 
selected card visibly appears on a handkerchief 
held by the performer. A handkerchief is bor- 
rowed from some obliging male spectator and is, 
for the time being, spread on the performer’s 
table. A card, say the Five of Diamonds, is 
placed on a plate and burned. Its ashes are 



fig. 46. 


loaded into the Magic Pistol, which is given to a 
gentleman, who is requested to discharge it at 
the performer when the latter commands. 

Taking the handkerchief by its four corners 
and holding it as shown in Fig. 47, the conjurer ( 
explains that, upon the firing of the pistol, he 
will release two of the corners of the handker- 
chief, illustrating this by actually dropping the 
two front corners of the latter, thus exposing the 
entire handkerchief and incidentally showing 
that nothing is attached to it. 



86 


CARD TRICKS 


Seizing the corners again, he commands the 
spectator to fire. At the moment of releasing 
the corners, the restored Five of Diamonds is 
seen attached to the center of the handkerchief, 
which, after the card has been removed from it, 
is returned to its owner. 

Previous to the trick, a duplicate Five of 
Diamonds is placed face downwards on the con- 
jurer’s table. To the back of this card is 
fastened a small pellet of adhesive wax. In 



fig. 47 . 

spreading the handkerchief on the table, the per- 
former so arranges that the rear half of the 
handkerchief is placed directly over the hidden 
card and, by a little pressure, it is made to ad- 
here to the handkerchief. A Five of Diamonds 
is now forced and, after it is burned, its ash$§ 


HOW TO DO THEM 


87 


are placed into the pistol which, as described, is 
given to some gentleman to hold. 

In picking up the handkerchief, the conjurer 
folds the front half over the rear half and holds 
it as shown in Fig. 47, the Five of Diamonds 
being attached on the rear side of the half CD 
of the handkerchief, consequently it is invisible 
from the front. In releasing the two corners in 
his explanation, the conjurer drops the front 
half, thereby proving the handkerchief to be 
seemingly unprepared. Regaining possession of 
the two corners, he requests the gentleman to 
fire and, at the proper moment, releases corners 
CD, the side of the handkerchief to which the 
card is attached, becoming visible, disclosing the 
card. In removing the Five of Diamonds, he 
secretly scrapes off the small pellet of wax and 
carelessly throws the card on the table so that 
in case any one should express a desire to 
examine the card, his wish can instantly be grati- 
fied. 


THE ITINERANT CARD 

The conjurer introduces an ordinary pack, 
contained in the original case and still securely 
sealed by the usual government stamp. After 
opening the case and removing the pack, he 
divides the latter into two heaps, one of which 


88 


CARD TRICKS 


is made to contain all the red cards, that is, the 
Hearts and Diamonds; the other one consisting 
of all the Clubs and Spades, or black cards. 
Inviting the spectators to choose one of these 
heaps, without influencing their choice in the 
least, he requests some one to take the selected 
heap and to wrap it in a sheet of paper, the ends 
of the parcel being then securely sealed. After 
this has been done, a lady is asked to indicate one 





• 

f T ¥ 


♦ # * 




A " ft. 

^ ^01 


. 

FIG. 48 . 

FIG. 49 . 


of the cards of the remaining heap, which is then 
given to her to hold. The card just chosen, 
which we will suppose to be the Ten of Hearts, 
is now commanded to leave the heap in which it 
is contained and told to join the cards in the 
sealed parcel. The latter, which consists of the 
black cards, is opened and found to contain the 
chosen card, the Ten of Hearts, while from the 
heap held by the lady, this same card is found to 
be missing. 


HOW TO DO THEM 


89 


In order to be able to perform this interesting 
feat, the performer requires duplicates of two 
spot cards of the pack, say the Ten of Hearts 
and the Nine of Spades. Taking a pack of 
cards, with the backs similar to those of the 
duplicate cards, he carefully removes the govern- 
ment stamp, which seals the case, and taking out 
a red and a black card, attaches the Ten of 
Hearts to the back of the black card and the 
Nine of Spades to the back of the red card, by 
means of white, unscented soap. Both double 
cards ought then, in order to obtain a good 
result, be placed for some time under pressure, 
after which they are ready to be used. Adding 
these cards to the others in the case, the per- 
former closes it and neatly replaces the stamp in 
its former position. 

Thus prepared, he proceeds as described, by 
first calling the attention of the company to the 
newness of the pack, which they will believe is 
undisturbed in its original package. The pack 
is then divided into red and black cards, and 
after one of the heaps is chosen, which in our 
case was the one containing the black cards, it 
is wrapped and sealed as explained. Seizing the 
remaining heap of red cards, the conjurer in- 
duces a lady to indicate the Ten of Hearts, by 
means of the force. He immediately makes the 
pass, brings the card to the top of the pack and 
disposes of it at the first opportunity offering 
itself. 


90 


Card tricks 


Before the sealed parcel is opened, the per- 
former takes it in his hands for a moment, pre- 
sumably to show to the company that the seals 
are still intact, but in reality to gain an oppor- 
, tunity to bend the parcel back and forth, by 
which process the Ten of Hearts, adhering to the 
back of the black cards, becomes detached and is 
subsequently discovered among the black cards 
by a spectator. 


THE CARD IN THE POCKET 

In this trick, which will particularly com- 
mend itself to the beginner who has not yet 
mastered the various sleights necesssary for the 
performance of the more elaborate tricks, a card, 
that a spectator has secretly thought of, disap- 
pears from the pack and is discovered in the tail 
pocket of the performer’s coat. 

The performer commences the experiment by 
offering the spectators a pack of cards, with the 
request for one of them to note and bear in mind 
a certain card and to note at what number, 
counting from the bottom of the pack, the card 
lies. This having been done and the pack re- 
turned to the conjurer, the latter, under the 
pretense of looking for the chosen card, quickly 
passes the cards, one by one, from the left hand 
into the right, by which process the former hot- 


HOW TO DO THEM 


91 


tom card now becomes the topmost one. Above 
the last card, he places three more indifferent 
cards taken from the bottom of the pack. 
Acknowledging that he is unable to discover the 
card in this manner, he returns the pack to the 
spectator, requesting him to count off from the 
top of the pack, the same number of cards that 
his card was removed from the bottom card. 
After his request has been complied with, the 
conjurer knows that the fourth card from the 
top of the pack must be the selected one. Seiz- 



FIG. 57. 

ing the three uppermost cards, he places them 
face downwards upon the table and boldly 
asserts that the chosen card is among them, invit- 
ing the spectator to look and see that such is 
really the case. While the person is engaged in 
doing so, failing of course to discover his card 
among them, the conjurer takes advantage of 
this opportunity to palm off the top card of 


92 


CARD TRICKS 


pack, then throws the latter on the table, asking 
the gentleman to name the card. 

We will suppose it is the Four of Hearts. 
“The Four of Hearts, my dear sir,” says the 
conjurer, “That cannot be, as I have had this 
card in the pocket of my coat all the evening.” 
Reaching into the indicated pocket, he produces 
the selected card, and upon inspection of the 
pack it is found to be missing. 


GRAVITY DEFIED 

One of the most interesting and indetectable 
of impromptu tricks with cards, is the feat that 
I am about to explain ; the performer causing all 
the cards of the pack to adhere and remain sus- 
pended, in a most mysterious way, to the lower 
side of the hand, which, as well as the cards, can 
be closely inspected at all stages of the trick, the 
performer carrying the cards about as they cling 
to his hand and inviting any one who so desires 
to convince himself of the mysterious nature ol 
the experiment. 

Those of my readers who are not acquainted 
with the secret of the trick, will be moderately 
surprised to know that nothing but a fine needle 
is required for the performance of the trick. 
Previous to the exhibition, the conjurer has 
pushed this needle through the skin of the inside 


HOW TO DO THEM 


93 


of the hand, as shown in Fig. 52. The hand, 
thus prepared, can be used with impunity, as 
the needle will not in the least incommode a 
person. 

When ready to exhibit the trick, the artist 
places the prepared hand hat on the table and 



pushes a card under each end of the needle, Fig. 
53. Two more cards are next placed between 
the first two and the hand, Fig. 54. With the 
exception of two cards, the remainder of the 


94 


Card tricks 


pack is then inserted in a circle between the first 
four cards and the palm, which the performer 



now turns over in order to introduce the remain- 
ing two cards, shown by dotted lines in Fig. 55. 
One end of these cards is placed underneath the 
Ace of Diamonds and above the Five of Spades, 
thus hiding one-half of the needle, while part of 
the last card is placed underneath the Five of 
Spades and above the Ace of Diamonds, the 
needle being thereby hidden completely. 


HOW TO DO THEM 95 

The conjurer now exhibits both sides of the 
hand, bending back the cards to allow the com- 
pany to inspect the surface of the inside of the 
hand, to prove that there is absolutely no prep- 
aration of any kind. 



fig. 54 . 

By exerting a slight pressure on the backs of 
the cards, with the fingers of the hand holding 
them, the loop of the skin, which holds the cards, 
is broken and all the cards, together with the 
needle, drop to the floor. Or, if the conjurer 


96 


CARD TRICKS 


does not wish to do this, he can cause all the 
cards to fall off, by simply giving a quick lateral 
movement of the hand. In this case, he secretly 



draws the needle out from under the skin at the 
first opportunity which offers itself. 


THE DEMON ENVELOPE. 

The performer enters, bearing a large envelope 
in one hand and a complete pack of cards in the 


HOW TO DO THEM 


97 


other. Placing the envelope against a candle- 
stick, or some piece of apparatus on his table, so 
that it remains in full view during the course of 
the trick, he proceeds to shuffle the cards. Then 
seizing an ornamental dagger or paper knife, he 
goes among the company and, handing a specta- 
tor the dagger, requests him to insert it any- 
where in the pack. The performer takes off all 
the cards above the knife and asks the gentleman 
to take the topmost card of the lower heap, on 
which the knife now rests, cautioning him to 
remove the card, so that he, the performer, can 
not obtain a glimpse of its face. In a similar 
manner, six more cards are selected at random 
by different spectators, each one retaining his 
card in his possession. Remaining away from 
the company, the performer calls for his assist- 
ant, who is told to hand the envelope to some 
prominent gentleman, who is then requested to 
open it. Doing so, he discovers in it another 
envelope, on the outside of which is written the 
name of the card selected by the first gentleman, 
who is requested to hold up his card, so that 
everyone can see that both the card and the name 
on the envelope correspond. The next envelope 
is opened, and inside of it is found a third one, 
bearing the name of the second card chosen. 
The trick proceeds in this manner, the gentleman 
discovering as many envelopes, one inside of 
another, as there were cards selected, each 


98 


CARD TRICKS 


envelope bearing the correct name of a drawn 
card. 

The solution of this mysterious and effective 
trick is very simple indeed. In the first place, it 
is necessary that the performer and his assistant 
should have memorized some simple code of 
Second Sight, consisting of seventeen different 
cues, thirteen of them representing the different 
values of the cards and four the suits. The pack 
of cards that is used is prearranged, the shuffle 
to which it is subjected being a false one. 

The envelope placed by the performer upon 
the table is really empty, the set of envelopes 
opened later on by the spectators, being in 
possession of the assistant behind the scenes. 
After the dagger has been inserted in the pack 
by the first gentleman, the performer, as will be 
remembered, takes off all the cards above the 
dagger. By glancing at the lowest card of this 
heap, thanks to his formula, he can instantly tell 
the name of the card that has been taken. In 
inviting the second gentleman to insert the dag- 
ger anywhere in the pack, he words his request 
in such a way as to bring into play the cue for 
the name of the first card selected, the assistant, 
who is listening, thus becoming acquainted with 
the name of the card. For the different cues, 
such simple short phrases as “Now, sir,” 
“Please,” “If you please,” “Kindly,” etc., will 
be found to be the most serviceable. The exact 


HOW TO DO THEM 


99 


arrangement I leave to the ingenuity of my 
reader, who, no doubt, can easily invent a brief 
system, nicely adapted to his own style. By this 
means he communicates all the names of the 
selected cards to his assistant, who writes them 
separately on the outsides of the envelopes and, 
quickly enclosing them in one another, places 
them into a still larger envelope, which he con- 
ceals under his coat and stands ready to obey 
the call of the performer, who, in order to give 
him the necessary chance to get ready, has occu- 
pied a little time by stating what has taken place, 
explaining how utterly impossible it would be 
for anyone to know the names of the card 
selected in such a fair manner. 

Calling for the assistant, the latter steps for- 
ward and is told to take the envelope from the 
table and to hand it to a gentleman, whom he 
requests the audience to select. While this is 
being done, the assistant turns about to pick up 
the envelope, at the same time obtaining posses- 
sion of the one concealed under his coat. He 
secretly places it on top of the one on the table 
and, picking up both, he adroitly places the 
empty envelope under his coat and turns around 
with the nest of envelopes in his hand, bringing 
it to the gentleman the spectators have decided 
upon. It is to be understood that the assistant 
must be clever enough to change the envelopes 
in a second’s time without being detected in the 
act. 


100 


CARD TRICKS 


The trick, which is now practically done, is 
then brought to the conclusion described. If 
presented with the necessary amount of address, 
it will not fail to bring the performer a hearty 
round of applause. 


THE UBIQUITOUS CARD 

A favorite trick with conjurers is to discover a 
selected card, that has been shuffled back into 
the pack, at any number, counted from the top 
of the cards, that a spectator chooses. 

The method that I am about to explain, besides 
being superior to the older forms of the trick, 
has the advantage that it is entirely unknown. 
As usual, after the selected card has been re- 
turned to the pack, the pass is made and the 
card is brought to the top. After having given 
the cards a False Shuffle, the conjurer asks at 
what number the spectators wish him to find the 
chosen card. We will suppose that Fifteen is 
the number told to him. Holding the pack in 
his hand, he counts “One” and transfers the top 
card, which is the desired one, to the right hand, 
seizing it between the first and second fingers. 
The next card is transferred to the right and 
placed above the card already there, the tip of 
the first finger being used as a division between 
the two cards. In this manner, the other cards 


HOW TO DO THEM 


101 


are successively counted into the right hand, 
counting until the number thirteen is reached. 
At this stage, the performer, instead of taking 
the top card of the pack, leaves the selected card, 
which is at the bottom of the ones in his right 
hand, on top of the pack, this movement being 
made to exactly resemble that of taking off a 
card. It ought to be well practiced and, if prop- 
erly executed, will be found very illusive. 
Counting “ Fourteen,’’ at the execution of this 
sleight, the performer states that the next card 
is the fifteenth one, which ought to prove the 
selected card, and requests the gentleman to 
name his card. He does so, whereupon the per- 
former turns over the top card of the pack and 
shows it to be the desired one. 


FOUR CARDS CAUGHT AT THE FINGER 
TIPS 

Four cards, after being selected, are returned 
to the pack, which, after being shuffled, is handed 
to a spectator with the request to throw the 
pack into the air, causing the cards to separate 
and come down in a shower. Reaching with 
both hands among the descending cards, the per- 
former catches two of the selected cards at the 
finger tips of each hand, as shown in Figs. 56 
and 57, 


102 


CARD TRICKS 


Difficult as the trick may appear at first read- 
ing, it will, however, be found quite simple when 
the explanation is once understood. 

In the first place, it is necessary to have dupli- 


* 4 



FIG. 56 . 


cates of two of the cards selected, the Five 
ol Clubs, and the Three of Hearts, which 
are p aced face to' face and are concealed in 
the pocket of the left coat tail. The dupli- 
cates of these cards are then forced and two 


HOW TO DO THEM 


103 


more cards are selected, the performer allowing 
the spectators full choice in the selection of the 
latter. The Five of Clubs and Three of Hearts 
are first returned to the pack and the latter is 
then shuffled by a spectator to his heart’s con- 



tent. The next twb cards, in a supposed case 
the Ace of Clubs and Six of Hearts, are then 
returned to the pack, the performei Immediately 


104 


CARD TRICKS 


making the pass and bringing both of them to 
the top of the pack, after which operation he 
palms them off and allows the pack to be shuffled 




• f 

* 


f 

* ih 


A t 

FIG. 58 . 

FIG. 59 . 


once more. Then requesting a spectator to 
throw the cards into the air at the word of com- 
mand, he takes his position in readiness to catch 



pig. 60 . 


fig. 61 . 


HOW TO DO THEM 


105 


the falling cards, and places his left arm behind 
him, as if to have it out of the way. Instructing 
the spectator how to hold the cards, so that when 
they are tossed up they will scatter properly, 
the performer, with his left hand, the finger tips 
of which he has previously moistened, takes the 
two cards out of the coat pocket and counts 
‘ ‘ One ! Two ! Three !” At “ Three, ’ ’ the specta- 
tor tosses up the pack as instructed, the conjurer 
reaches with both hands among the descending 
cards and produces the chosen cards, adhering 
to his fingers on account of their having been 
previously moistened. 

As some performers will find it difficult to 
cause the cards to adhere by this method, I sug- 
gest that, just before the experiment, a little 
powdered rosin, a small quantity of which can 
be lying on the table, be rubbed on the thumb 
and middle finger of each hand. By this plan, 
the cards are certain to adhere. 

Another version of this trick dispenses with 
the spectator’s help. The two cards not forced, 
that is, the Ace of Clubs and Six of Hearts, are 
left at the top of the pack, after the latter has 
been given a false shuffle by the performer. The 
top card is then brought to the bottom of the 
pack, being turned over during the operation. 
The conjurer then seizes the pack between the 
middle finger and thumb of the right hand and, 
pressing firmly with these fingers, throws the 


106 


CARD TRICKS 


pack into the air, the top and bottom cards being 
retained in the hand, while the other hand 
(which, meanwhile, has obtained possession of 
the two cards concealed in the coat tail pocket) 
reaches among the falling cards and pretends to 
pick out the selected cards from among them. 


THE CARDS, COINS AND GLASS 

After a tumbler and a pack of cards have 
been subjected to close examination, the glass is 
placed on the table, the pack of cards being then 
laid over the top of it, thus shutting out all 
access to the interior of the glass. The conjurer 
borrows a few coins, usually half dollars, and 
proceeds to pass them through the cards into the 
glass, into which the coins are seen and heard 
to drop. 

Several years ago, the effect was accomplished 
by the use of mechanical packs, which however 
of late years has gone out of fashion, owing to 
the greatly simplified methods of performing the 
trick that have been invented since then. 

FIRST METHOD 

This form of the trick is the simplest imagin- 
able, a description of it being given here, for 
the sake of completeness only. After having 
placed the glass on the table, the conjurer ob- 


HOW TO DO THEM 


107 


tains from the servante or from his pochette, a 
half dollar, which he secretly places on the bot- 
tom of the pack, holding the latter by one of its 
ends with the top card turned towards the com- 
pany, the coin being held on the rear side of the 
pack by the thumb, the fingers resting on the 
other side of the pack, which the performer now 



fig. 70. 


places on the glass Fig. 70, slipping the coin 
between the edge of the latter and the cards. 
The whole is next covered by a handkerchief, 
apparently to make the trick the more difficult, 
but in reality to prevent the spectator from see- 
ing where the coin comes from, when it falls into 
the glass. The conjurer then borrows a half 
dollar and pretends to transfer it from the right 


108 


CARD TRICKS 


hand into the left, really retaining it in the right, 
with which he seizes his wand placing it on the 
end of the pack opposite to the one under which 
the coin is concealed. Holding the closed left 
hand above the pack, he suddenly opens it and 
hits the upper end of the wand a gentle tap 
whereby the end of the pack holding the coin 
against the glass, tilts up and releases the coin, 
which drops into the glass and is removed by the 
performer, who after substituting for it the coin 
he has palmed, returns the latter to its owner. 

SECOND METHOD 

The plan employed in this version of the trick 
is a very ingenious one indeed. 

In one of the cards of the pack, previous to 
the performance, four slits, A B and C D, are 
cut with a sharp penknife. The distance be- 
tween B and C must be adapted to admit of a 
half dollar being placed into the slits, as shown 
in Fig. 71, being held neither too loosely or too 
firmly. The card and coin thus prepared is 
placed in the second one from the bottom of the 
pack, which may now be freely spread out, fan 
like, and shown from both sides, the performer 
exercising a little care not to expose the prepared 
card. Just before placing the pack on the tum- 
bler, he removes the bottom card and places it 
on the top of the pack. Taking the borrowed 
coin, and pretending to place it in his left hand, 


HOW TO DO THEM 


109 


in reality keeping it palmed in the right, with 
which he seizes the wand, he holds the latter in 
a vertical position, its lower end resting on the 
pack. The closed left hand then strikes the 



upper end of the wand a quick blow, causing the 
pack to bend inward a trifle, thereby forcing the 
concealed coin out of the slits, causing it to drop 
visibly and audibly into the tumbler with very 


110 


CARD TRICKS 


pretty effect. The left hand as it strikes the 
wand is opened and shown to be empty. 

Our second diagram, Fig. 72, shows a plan by 
which two coins are held by the slits A B, C D, 
E F, G H, made in the bottom card. By this 
method one coin at a time is made to apparently 
drop through the pack into the tumbler under- 


i 



FIG. 72. 

neath; the performer for this purpose applying 
the lower end of the wand to one end of the 
pack and dislodging the coin held there, after- 
wards moving the wand to the other end and 
releasing the second and last coin in a similar 
manner. 


HOW TO DO THEM 


111 


THIRD METHOD 


This version of the trick differs materially 
from the methods just described, as during the 
course of the trick the magician stands at some 
distance from the glass and while in this posi- 
tion, invites a spectator to come forward and 



fig. 73 . 


examine cards, glass and coins, proving the 
absence of preparation. The table on which the 
tumbler is placed must be either a regular con- 
juring table with a bellows or box top or if the 
latter is not available, a parlor table with a 
partly open drawer may be used. Face down- 
wards on the table lies a card, the back of which 


112 


CARD TRICKS 


is painted the same color as the table top. To 
the edge of this card is attached a black silk 
thread A, Fig. 73, about fourteen inches in 
length, which is firmly tied to a small ring C, to 
which also is secured a black, elastic cord B, the 
end of which is fastened to the inside of the 
table or table drawer. To set this combination 
of thread, ring and elastic, the latter is drawn 
out to its full tension, and prevented from flying 
back by the needle C, which is driven partly into 
the top of the table. To the eye of this needle is 
fastened another thread D, which is either passed 
behind the scenes to the assistant or may be 
secured to the performer’s wand, which is lying 
on the table. 

After having borrowed, two half dollars, 
which for the sake of better effect he causes to 
be marked, by the owners, the performer appar- 
ently places them in some conspicuous place, 
where they may be seen until the moment they 
are required. What he has done however, is to 
substitute for the borrowed coins two of his own, 
keeping the original ones concealed in his hand. 

Having shown the glass and cards, he places 
the latter in front of the prepared card on 
the table and, holding it in such a way that the 
spectators cannot see behind it, he secretly places 
the palmed coins beside each other on the pre- 
pared card and then places the cards on it. He 
now picks up the pack and prepared card and 


now to 00 them 


113 


with them the coins, placing them evenly on the 
glass. Taking the other two coins, which the 
spectators believe to be the borrowed ones, he 
makes the pass with them and pretends to throw 
them into the glass. At this moment, the thread 
D must be pulled, either by the assistant or by 
the performer himself, with the attached wand, 
thereby pulling the needle out of the table top. 
This releases the ring E and the elastic, with 
great rapidity, recedes within the table, carrying 
with it ring, thread and card F, which is so 
quickly jerked from below the pack that the 
coins underneath, on account of their inertia, do 
not accompany the card, but fall directly into 
the glass, As all preparation has vanished into 
the interior of the table with the elastic, the 
performer generally requests some spectator to 
come up and inspect cards, glass and coins, 
which are, by the marks on them, identified as 
the borrowed ones. 


THE HALVED CARD. 

For this excellent trick, in which a destroyed 
card is magically restored, the performer pre- 
pares himself by previously cutting a card, say 
the Six of Diamonds, into two parts, one of 
which he discards, concealing the other part 
(B, Fig. 82) about his person. 


114 


CARD TRICKS 


After having forced a duplicate of this card 
(A. Fig. 83) he places the pack on the table, 
using this opportunity to secretly obtain pos- 
session of the half card B, which he places on 
the selected card, the two presenting the appear- 
ance indicated in Fig. 83. Holding both cards 
well together, he takes a pair of scissors and cuts 
A in two, following exactly the line of B. The 



upper part of A is given in charge of some one 
and the double half card shown from both sides. 
B is then substituted for the lower half of A, 
by means of the Excelsior Change. The upper 
half of A and the part B are then matched, and 
found fitting together, apparently proving that 
they are really portions of the same card. Part 


HOW TO DO THEM 


115 


B is now destroyed by setting fire to it, and then 
apparently restored by exhibiting in its stead the 
lower half of the original card A. 

Those of my readers who do not mind a little 
extra expense or trouble, can bring the trick 



to a more sensational close by dropping the 
palmed half of A on the servante, from where 
it is removed by the assistant, who takes it 
behind the scenes and quickly encloses it in an 


116 


CARD TRICKS 


envelope, which he seals and encloses in a second 
larger envelope, sealing this, and so on,, until 
the half card is contained in a nest of six or 
more envelopes. This set of envelopes he hands 
to a District Messenger Boy, who is in waiting 
and who quickly runs out of the entrance of the 
theatre and, entering from the front of the 
house, hands the nest of envelopes to the specta- 
tor to whom it is addressed. The gentleman, 
at the conjurer’s request, opens one envelope 
after the other and, inside of the innermost, dis- 
covers; half of the card A, which exactly fits the 
other half in his possession. While the assistant 
is occupied in getting the envelopes ready, the 
performer by dint of a little by-play, fills out 
the necessary time by burning B and causing its 
ashes {to disappear. 

If this additional effect, of using the Nest of 
Envelopes, is introduced, it is advisable to have 
the gentleman who selected the Six of Diamonds, 
place a private mark on each end of the card, so 
that at the finish of the trick, there can be no 
lingering doubt but that the restored half is 
really part of the card originally chosen. 


THE PHOENIX 

The admirable trick of this name resembles in 
effect and principle the trick just described. 


HOW TO DO THEM 


117 


After a card has been selected, the performer 
places it aside and proceeds to tear off a corner 
of the card, which had best be a court card, say 
the King of Diamonds. Then handing the very 
same corner and card to another spectator, he 
requests him to take charge of the corner until 
it is wanted. This card itself is then placed on 
an unprepared china plate and set on fire by a 
spectator or the performer, who previously begs 
the spectator to compare the corner with the 
card, which are found to match exactly. After 
the card has been consumed by the flames, the 
conjurer places the ashes in any piece of appa- 
ratus, say for instance the Card Box and closing 
it, gives it to a second spectator to hold. The 
burnt card is now commanded to become com- 
pletely restored, the box is opened and the per- 
former^ wishes found to have been obeyed. In- 
stead of the ashes placed in the box, is found 
the original King of Diamonds minus a corner. 
The card is passed to the spectator who retained 
the corner and they are found to fit exactly. 

In order to he able to perform this capital 
trick, it is necessary to have a duplicate King of 
Diamonds, from which the upper corner has been 
previously torn and destroyed, as it is not re- 
quired in the course of the trick. The card itself 
is secreted in the pochette or any other easily 
accessible place on the person of the performer, 
who thus prepared advances with the pack and 


118 


CARD TRICKS 


adroitly forces the second King of Diamonds. 
In the act of placing the pack, for which there 
is no further need, on the table, he obtains pos- 
session of the card concealed in his pocket, palm- 
ing it face downward, in the right hand. Receiv- 
ing with the left hand the selected King of Diam- 
onds, he places the right hand over it leaving 
the palmed card on top. Holding both as one 
card, he deliberately tears off a corner of the se- 
lected King, carefully following while doing so, 
the exact form of the tear in the other card. 
Handing the piece just torn off tc a spectator, 
he shows the double card, which the company 
believes to be only one, and then making the 
Excelsior Change, exhibits the duplicate King 
of Diamonds in place of the chosen one. The 
corner may be safely applied to this duplicate 
card, without any danger of the substitution 
being suspected. The duplicate card is then 
burned as described, the palmed original card to 
be found in any place optional with the conjurer. 


THE LOST ACE 

After introducing a pack of unprepared cards, 
the performer removes the four Aces from it and 
lays them on the table in plain sight. The re- 
maining cards are then handed to a spectator 
with the request to convince himself that no 
duplicate Aces are contained therein. After this 


HOW TO DO THEM 


119 


has been done, the conjurer picks up the four 
Aces and requests the gentleman to shuffle them 
into the pack. Upon asking the spectator 
whether he is sure that he has the Aces in his 
possession and being answered in the affirma- 
tive, the performer reaches into his pocket and 
produces from there the Ace of Diamonds, which, 
upon inspection of the pack, is found missing. 

Previous to the introduction of the trick, the 
artist removes from the pack the Ace of 
Diamonds, which he places in the tail pocket of 



his coat. The cards laid on the table consist of 
the three Aces and the Nine of Diamonds, which 
is used as a substitute for the missing Ace of the 
same suit. To conceal the side pipe of this card, 
the Ace of Clubs and Ace of Spades are made to 


120 


CARD TRICKS 


cover it, as indicated in Fig. 86. By a little 
practice this can be done in an apparently care- 
less manner of arranging the cards on the table, 
and finally placing the Ace of Hearts over them. 

The trick then proceeds as described, the four 
cards (supposed to be four Aces) being shuffled 
into the pack, after which operation, the Ace of 
Diamonds having vanished from the pack, is pro- 
duced from the performer’s pocket. 


THOUGHT FORETOLD 

The performer commences the experiment by 
handing to a spectator a sealed envelope, with 
the request to take charge of it until it is wanted. 
He then introduces a piquet pack of thirty-two 
cards and, after shuffling it, divides it into four 
heaps of eight cards each, arranging these heaps 
on a tray, over which a borrowed handkerchief 
is then spread. Turning his back to the tray, the 
conjurer invites another gentleman to remove 
from underneath the handkerchief, any one of 
the four heaps and retain it in his possession. 

After his request has been complied with, he 
turns around, seizes the gentleman’s hand and, 
while pretending to read his thoughts, proceeds 
to write on a blackboard the name of the cards 
contained in the selected heap. He then asks for 
the return of the envelope, which he opens and 


HOW TO DO THEM 


121 


from which he removes a slip of paper, also 
bearing the names of the eight cards that were 
chosen. 

The cards nsed have been prearranged. Every 
eighth card is a trifle wider than the rest. After 
having given the pack a False Shuffle^ the per- 
former makes the pass at a wide card and 
divides them into four heaps on the tray. In 
doing so, he secretly obtains a glimpse of the 
bottom card, and from that can easily calculate 
the names of the cards contained in each heap. 
After one of these heaps has been removed from 
the tray, he can easily tell, by glancing at the 
tray, which packet is missing, the handkerchief 
being sunk down in the place formerly occupied 
by the cards. Knowing the names of them, 
thanks to their prearranged order, he proceeds 
to write on the blackboard the names of the 
cards. 

The envelope contains a slip of paper on which 
are written the names of the first eight cards of 
the prepared pack, and also a second smaller en- 
velope, which again contains another slip with 
the names of the next eight cards and a third, 
still smaller envelope. This is similarly ar- 
ranged, containing a third slip and a fourth 
envelope, with a slip bearing the names of the 
last eight cards. Owing to this peculiar ar- 
rangement, the conjurer has it in his power to 
produce from the envelope or envelopes, as the 


122 


CARD TRICKS 


case may be, any one of the four slips. Suppos- 
ing the first eight cards to have been chosen, he 
simply opens the first envelope and, neglecting 
the envelope within, removes the slip, which he 
hands to a spectator, requesting him to read 
aloud the list of cards thereon. The envelope 
and its contents, in this case, are carelessly 
thrown aside. 

If, however, the third set of cards has been 
chosen, the performer would open the first envel- 
ope, pay no attention to the slip it contains, but 
would remove the second envelope. Opening this 
one and ignoring the slip it contained, he would 
take the third envelope, from which he would 
remove the slip only, placing the last envelope 
shown aside, as if it were of no further import- 
ance. 


THE PIERCED CARD. 

Although the effect of this trick, upon perusal 
of the explanation, appears to be simple, it is, 
nevertheless, one of the most mysterious of 
modern, or rather modernized, card tricks. 

In the first place, the performer is securely 
blindfolded, after which a gentleman selects any 
card from the pack, then, taking possession of it, 
he replaces his card, shuffling them as much as he 
pleases. The pack is then returned to the con- 


HOW TO DO THEM 


123 


jurer, who carelessly throws it on the table, 
spreading out the cards promiscuously with his 
hands. 

A spectator is then asked for the loan of a 
penknife, which is opened and handed to the 
performer, who grasps it dagger-like, circling 
with his hand above the cards, suddenly drives 
the point of the knife into one of them. Request- 
ing the gentleman who selected the card to name 
it, he turns up the knife with the card still 
adhering to it and shows it to be the one selected. 

The secret of the solution of this trick, which 
simply dumbfounds the spectators, is as usual, 
simplicity itself. The conjurer, himself, folds 
the handkerchief, which is to be placed over his 
eyes, taking care that the folds are not too wide, 
so that when he is blindfolded by it, he can 
easily see underneath it, by glancing in a down- 
ward direction. The idea of the performer being 
able to see under the blindfold, never seems to 
strike the spectators, whose only care is usually 
to select a handkerchief of a texture sufficiently 
close to render it opaque when folded. 

This having been done, the conjurer asks for 
the cards, which are handed to him and allows a 
gentleman to select any card that he wishes, 
requesting him to show the card to the rest of 
the company, to avoid all possibilities of a mis- 
take being made. While his wish is being com- 
plied with, he gives a sharp bend to the cards in 


124 


CARD TRICKS 


his possession, and handing them to the gentle- 
man, asks him to replace the card himself and 
after doing so to shuffle the pack thoroughly. 
No matter how much the pack is shuffled, the 
performer upon receiving it, can easily discover 
the chosen card, it being the only straight one 
in the pack. He glances under the blindfold, 
while asking some one to furnish him with a 
knife. After he has located the card, he brings 
it to the top by means of the pass and then 
throws the pack on the table, immediately 
spreading it out thoroughly, using both hands, 
taking care to keep the chosen card in view. The 
finish of the trick then proceeds as already 
described, the conjurer impaling one of the 
cards, which turns out to be the one previously 
selected. 

By slightly modifying the process, the effect 
of the trick can be greatly increased by having 
three cards chosen and piercing and displaying 
them successively. For this purpose a some- 
what different method is adopted. After the 
cards have been selected and are returned to 
the pack, which the conjurer himself holds, he 
makes the pass at a suitable moment, thereby 
bringing the cards to the top and after palming 
them off by means of the Buatier Palm, allows 
the pack to be shuffled. Upon its return, he 
secretly replaces the palmed cards and spreads 
them on the table, arranging it so that the three 


HOW TO DO THEM 


125 


cards are not situated suspiciously near one an- 
other, taking excellent care however to remem- 
ber their exact location. He must also bear in 
mind, which one of them is the first card, which 
one the second, etc. The trick in this form, re- 
quires considerable audacity and address on the 
part of the performer, who will certainly be 
amply repaid for his trouble in mastering the 
trick, by the great impression its performance 
creates. 


THE CARD BOX 

One of the most useful accessories in Card 
Conjuring is the Card Box, Fig. 87, which is in- 
valuable for causing cards to appear, vanish or 
change into others. To all appearances, it is but 
a plain box of polished wood, consisting of the 
parts A and B, hinged together, either of which 
will serve as top or bottom of the box. The 
inside is usually blackened ; but there is another 
part, not noticed by the spectators, and that is 
a very thin slab, C, of blackened wood, nicely 
fitting the inside of the box, and which is held 
in place by one of the fingers, as the performer 
freely shows the open box from both sides, in- 
verting it to prove that it contains nothing. 

We will suppose for an illustration, that in B 
lies a card, face downwards, being hidden by the 


126 


CARD TRICKS 


slab C. The box thus prepared, may be freely 
shown, apparently empty, as described above, 
and then closed by means of lid A. (This, at 
least, is the method usually adopted, although I, 
myself, let A form the bottom of the box and 



fig. 87. 

adroitly close prepared side B on it as the cover, 
by which process, I dispense with the necessity 
of turning over the box.) In placing the closed 
box upon the table, or giving it to some person 
to hold, the box is secretly turn&d^ver, so that 
B is now uppermost. The false slab C falls into 
A, causing the concealed .card to be revealed 
when the box is opened. By using a -reverse pro- 
cess, the box is made to serVe for the vanishing 
or changing of cards. 


HOW TO DO THEM 


127 


THE MECHANICAL CARD BOX 

Another excellent contrivance, by the aid of 
which cards are made to vanish, appear or 
change, is the Mechanical Card Box, depicted 
in Fig. 88. The superiority of this box over 
that just described lies in the fact that the 
Mechanical Box, after being shown empty, is 
held and closed by a gentleman, who, after 
opening it a minute later, discovers in it a card 



that the performer desired to have appear. The 
spectator is then invited to inspect the box and 
fails to find any indication of trickery in its 
construction. 

A (Fig. 88) represents a slab, pivoted in the 


128 


CARD TRICKS 


bottom corners of the box. At this place, hidden 
by the wood-work, is inserted a coiled watch 
spring, which is fastened to one of the pivots 
of A, tending to force the slab against the back 
of the box. To set the apparatus for the trick, 
the card desired is placed on the real bottom of 
the box, and by pushing a pin through a minute 
hole from the back of the box, the slab A is 
pushed inward as indicated in the diagram and 
folded down on the bottom of the box, where a 
catch B springs into place, preventing A from 
flying back to its normal position on the back 
of the box. 

The box, thus prepared, may be shown empty 
with impunity, and in this condition is handed 
to a gentleman with the request for him to 
lock it and close it himself. In doing so the 
slot D in the cover engages and slightly moves 
latch C, which in turn causes catch B to move 
within the woodwork of the box, thereby releas- 
ing A, which by means of the spring at one of 
its pivots noiselessly folds up against the back 
of the box, its upper edge being hidden under 
a slight projection of the box proper, so that 
now the apparatus may safely be passed for 
inspection with no danger of detection. 


THE NEW BRASS CARD BOX 
Conjurers, who desire something especially 


HOW TO DO THEM 


129 


neat, novel and clever in the way of a Card 
Box, will do well to purchase the New Brass 
Card Box, illustrated in Pig. 90. This box is 
made of metal throughout and is just large 
enough to contain a card. It is scarcely an 



fig. 90. 

inch in height, thus making it appear as if 
there was no chance for trickery in the con- 
struction. Yet, when a card is placed- into it 
and the box closed and given to a spectator to 
hold, he will, upon opening it, find that the 
card has either vanished or changed into an 
entirely different one, according to the arrange- 
ments of the performer. 

The secret of the trick lies in the fact that 
there are really two boxes, B and C, neatly 
nesting and connected by the same hinges to 
the lid A, which is of such shape as to fit very 


V. 


130 Card trIckS 

snugly into, part B. Previous to performing 
the trick, B, which is nearly of the same depth 
as C, is placed in the latter, and the box may, 
in this state, be freely shown. After the card 
has been placed in B, the box is closed, pressing 
A into B, in which it becomes firmly lodged. 
The box is then handed to a spectator, who, 
upon opening it, takes A and B to be one, 
thereby disclosing C, which may be either 
empty or contain a card, into which the card 
placed in B is supposed to have been trans- 
formed. 


THE VANISHING OF THOUGHT CARDS 

In this rather neat trick several cards that 
the spectators have mentally selected from a 
number of cards spread out before them are 
caused to mysteriously disappear. 

The secret of the trick lies in the preparation 
of the cards, which are double-faced, one side 
of the pack showing twenty-six certain cards, 
while the other shows a similar number of dif- 
ferent cards. Spreading out the cards before 
the eyes of the company, the conjurer requests 
several persons to note and bear in mind any 
of the cards they see. In order to cause the 
cards to vanish he simply closes the pack and 
turns it over, without being observed, then 


HOW TO DO THEM 


131 


spreading the cards again. As an entirely dif- 
ferent set of cards is thus presented to the 
spectators, they are unable to locate their re- 
spective cards among them. 


X RAYS. 

FIRST METHOD. 

From a pack of unprepared cards, a number, 
say nine, are selected and placed, by their sev- 
eral holders, into opaque envelopes, which are 
then sealed. The closed envelopes are then col- 
lected on a plate or tray by a volunteer assist- 
ant, who, at the performer’s request, hands him 
any one of the envelopes, which the conjurer 
places to his forehead and instantly tells the 
name of the card contained therein. The en- 
velope is then opened by a spectator and is 
found to contain the card the performer pre- 
dicted. The contents of the remaining envelopes 
are next read in the same apparently miraculous 
manner, the performer, with his usual love of 
the truth, attributing the experiment to the use 
of the celebrated Roentgen rays. 

The envelopes used are perfectly white on 
the outside and blue on the inside, whereby 
they are rendered opaque. Eight of them are 
marked after a plan shown in Fig. 91, the 


132 


CARD TRICKS 


marking consisting of a small dot on the face 
of the envelope. 

The dot on the first envelope is placed in 
the upper left hand corner, the dot on the 
second one in the middle of the upper edge, 



fig. 91. 


the third in the upper right hand corner, etc., 
the last (ninth) envelope being devoid of a 
mark. 

For each envelope the conjurer has memor- 
ized the name of a playing card, as, for in- 
stance, the Nine of Clubs for envelope number 
one, the Ace of Diamonds for envelope number 
two, etc. These nine cards are picked out of the 
pack and are then placed on top of the latter. 
Ihe marked envelopes are placed in a corre- 
sponding order, on top of a packet of similar, 


HOW TO DO THEM 


133 


but unprepared, ones. Thus equipped, the con- 
jurer allows the pack to be shuffled, previously 
palming the nine cards from the top and re- 
placing them, without being observed, after the 
pack has been returned. He then makes the 
pass and forces the nine cards on different spec- 


4 


A ' 

♦ 

* * * 


♦ 

4 4 



4 4 ,• 


♦ 

V 


fig. 92. fig. 93. 


tators, noting, as he goes along, the order of 
the persons selecting the cards. He next takes 
the heap of envelopes and distributes the nine 
uppermost ones in exactly the same rotation as 
the cards were forced. Each spectator is told 
to insert his card and seal it, and all of them 
are collected as described. All the performer 
does, in order to become acquainted with the 
names of the cards enclosed in the envelopes, 
is to note, the position of the mark near the 
edge, for the cue to the card contained therein. 


134 


CARD TRICKS 


SECOND METHOD. 

In this vastly improved form of the preceding 
experiment the conjurer is securely blindfolded, 
and, as a further handicap to his clairvoyant 
powers, the nine envelopes are covered by a 
handkerchief, before being given to him. De- 
spite these apparently insurmountable diffi- 
culties, he predicts, with unfailing accuracy, 
the name of the card that each envelope con- 
tains. 

The difference in the modus operandi of the 
trick consists in the manner of marking the 
envelopes, which are pricked with a fine needle 
instead of being dotted with the ink. This 
pricking raises a slight protuberance, which is 
made more prominent and more lasting by being 
touched with the tiniest drop of mucilage, 
which, when dry and hard, causes the mark to 
be easily detected by the fingers. 

Otherwise the trick proceeds in exactly the 
same manner as described in the last method, 
with the addition of the blindfolding of the 
performer and covering of the envelopes. As 
the conjurer does not require his sight for this 
form of the trick, the blindfolding does not 
affect him ; while, so far as the covering of the 
envelopes is concerned, their marks can be read 
through the texture of the handkerchief, the 
tiny projection being easily felt and inter- 
preted. 


ROW S'O DO I'HEM 


135 


THE BALANCED CARD 

In the course of some trick in which the per- 
former has occasion to use a silk hat he demon- 
strates that he is a juggler as well as a ma- 
gician by taking a selected card and balancing 
it in an upright position on the crown of the 
hat. then going among the company, continuing 
to balance the card in this position. The card 
is then removed and, together with the hat, 
passed for inspection. 

As usual the secret is a very simple one. To 



fig. 94. 


the upper button of the conjurer’s vest is tied 
a blond human hair about sixteen inches in 
length. To the lower end of this hair is at- 


136 


CARD TRICKS 


tached a very small pellet of adhesive wax. 
After a card has been chosen, the performer, on 
his way to the stage, obtains possession of the 
waxed end of the hair and secretly presses it 
against the middle of the upper end of the 
selected card, which he stands upright on the 
center of the crown of the hat, holding it in 
such a manner and at such a distance from his 
body that the hair is drawn taut, the card lean- 
ing slightly toward the spectators, (Fig. 94). 
As the hair is practically invisible to the naked 
eye, especially in the evening, the performer can 
safely venture among the company, allowing 
them to witness the mysterious feat at close 
quarters. Seizing the card, and quickly detach- 
ing the wax with the fingers, allowing the hair 
to drop, he passes both card and hat for in- 
spection. 

For the sake of clearness the hair in our 
illustration is shown much heavier than it is in 
reality. 


THE CARD SERYANTE 

In many tricks with cards it is necessary that 
a pack of cards, after having been examined 
and shuffled, is to be exchanged for a pack pre- 
arranged or otherwise prepared. To accom- 
plish this neatly has so far been a rather dif- 


HOW TO DO THEM 


137 


ficult matter, but since the introduction of the 
Card Servante, Fig, 97, the task of exchanging 
packs has become a comparatively easy one. 
The apparatus is simplicity itself, consisting in 
the main of a metal rim A, to which is sewn 
a rather shallow bag of black cloth. To this 
rim is attached a flat strip of metal, to which 
is riveted a spring clip B. By means of a sharp 



fig. 97. 

point protruding from the rear of A the ap- 
paratus can be quickly attached to the back of 
a suitable chair by pressing the sharp point 
into the woodwork of the upper part of the 
frame. In clip B is inserted the pack of cards 


138 


CARD TRICKS 


which the conjurer intends to substitute for 
the examined one in the course of the trick. 
To do so he proceeds in the following manner : 

Holding the pack with the right hand, he 
seizes with the same hand the upper part of 
the chair in such a way that the thumb alone 
is visible, the rest of the fingers being hidden 
by the back of the chair. 

The left hand at the same moment seizes the 
seat of the chair, which is set to one side, as if 
it were in the conjurers way. During this 
operation the pack , of cards is dropped from 
the right hand into the bag of the servante, the 
right hand at the same time removing the dupli- 
cate pack from the clip B, the change being 
unobserved and accomplished with ease. 

Some Card Servantes are made with two 
spring clips, one at each end of the frame A, so 
that a second change of packs can be made by 
the use of the same apparatus. In order to 
render these changes still more unnoticeable 
the Servante is attached to the back of a chair, 
which has a cane back and behind which there 
is seemingly no chance of concealing anything. 
To accomplish this result the wily conjurer has 
simply to render the caning opaque by tacking 
over rear a piece of black velvet, behind which he 
attaches his Servante in the usual manner. This 
very ingenious way of preparing the back of a 
chair can be used to great advantage in other 


HOW TO DO THEM 


139 


conjuring tricks. It is impossible to detect the 
preparation at a slight distance, as a trial on 
the part of my reader will easily demonstrate. 


RAPID TRANSIT. 

For the performance of this clever trick it is 
necessary that the performer should place a 
duplicate of a certain card, say the Six of 
Spades, in the pack. After having successfully 
forced one of these two cards, he invites a 
spectator to step forward and assist him in 


♦ * 

♦ *s 

FIG. 98. 

the experiment about to follow. The gentleman 
is first requested to empty the inside pocket of 
his coat and to place the selected card into the 
now empty pocket. While the gentleman is 
doing this the conjurer secretly palms the dupli- 
cate Six of Spades, and, addressing the spec- 


140 


CARD TRICKS 


tator, exclaims: “Upon second thought, I 
think it will be best if we replace your card in 
the pack!” at the same time reaching into the 
spectator’s pocket and appearing to remove the 
selected card. He really takes out the palmed 
Six of Spades, which, after showing, he replaces 
in the pack. Commanding it to vanish, he 
“ruffles” the pack and asks the gentleman to 
feel in his pocket, to which the card, to all ap- 
pearances, has returned. 


THE CONJURER’S PREDICTION 

Three spectators are each requested to think 
of a card, after which the performer success- 
ively seizes each person’s hand and asks him to 
think intently of his card, looking him in the 
eye, as if fathoming his thoughts. Stating that 
he has in this way successfully devined the 
respective names of the three cards, he proceeds 
to write their names on three slips of paper, 
which he rolls up and places in a glass. The 
three spectators are then asked to remove their 
cards from the pack, which, being counted, is 
naturally found to contain forty-nine cards, 
which, with three removed, makes a correct total 
of fifty-two. The persons then place their cards 
in a small shallow box, held by the performer, 
while the remainder of the pack is placed on a 


HOW TO DO THEM 


141 


second inverted glass. The selected cards now 
disappear from the box, which is shown to be 
entirely empty, and reappear in the pack. The 
slips of paper in the first glass are opened and 
are found to contain the correct names of the 
mentally chosen cards. 

For the performance of this trick the con- 
jurer requires an assistant, stationed behind 
the scenes, and who holds in readiness a number 

of slips of paper on which is written, “ of 

Hearts, of Clubs, ” etc. Furthermore the 

performer needs a card box, a pack of fifty- 
two cards, arranged in a certain known order, 
and a duplicate pack, consisting of only forty- 
nine cards. This pack is placed on the servante, 
and under the performer’s vest or in his po- 
chette are concealed three indifferent cards. 
After the three persons have each thought of a 
card, the conjurer makes a pretense of thought 
reading as described, and then feigns to write 
the names of the cards on the slips of paper, 
which he rolls up and places in the glass. The 
spectators then remove their cards from the com- 
plete pre-arranged pack, which the performer 
immediately exchanges for the pack of forty- 
nine cards on the servante. While the cards 
in the latter are being counted, the assist- 
ant, under the pretext of bringing in the Card 
Box, enters, and while placing the box on the 
table obtains possession of the cards on the 


142 


CARD TRICKS 


servante and secretly carries them behind the 
scenes. Rapidly running over the cards, he 
notes the missing ones and fills in their values, 
as, for instance, King, Four, Nine, on the slips 
of paper, lying in readiness. These he rolls up 
and brings out concealed in the hand, holding 
the second glass. During the time the pack has 
been counted and three chosen cards placed in 
the Card Box. Requesting the gentleman who 
has counted the pack to hand it to him, the 
conjurer secretly adds the three vested cards 
and places them on the second glass, which is 
handed him by the assistant, who manages, un- 
observed, to give him the rolled up slips of 
paper. The cards are now told to disappear 
from the box and to return to the pack, which 
is then counted, proving the order to have been 
obeyed. 

All that now remains for the performer to do 
is to exchange the three palmed slips received 
from the assistant for the ones in the glass. 
This he can easily do in the act of handing them 
to a spectator, or by taking the slips out of the 
glass by the right hand and pretending to trans- 
fer them to the left, really palming them and 
at the same moment showing the papers con- 
cealed in the left hand. 


HOW TO DO THEM 


143 


THE SMALL CARD FRAME 
FIRST METHOD 

One of the best and most mystifying appli- 
ances to be used in connection with card tricks 
is the small Card Frame or Sand Frame, which, 
although not of recent origin, is described here 
for the reason that some of my readers may not 
be acquainted with the detail of its construction. 

The Sand Frame consists of a frame proper, 
in which the glass is fastened permanently, and 
a removable back occupying the space behind 
the glass. The frame, with the back in position, 
is first shown to be unprepared, and, after being 
covered with a borrowed handkerchief, is given 
to a lady to hold. A card is then selected, 
placed in a piece of apparatus, as, for instance, 
the Card Box, and commanded to vanish from 
there and appear under the glass of the frame. 
The handkerchief is removed and the change 
is seen to have occurred. The back of the 
frame is then taken out and the card removed. 
The frame and cards are then inspected, and, 
there being nothing but the transparent glass 
and the frame itself, the construction of which 
shows no trickery, preparation seems impos- 
sible. 

The secret is a very ingenious one. The glass 
in the frame really consists of two sheets, sep- 
arated by a small space, for reasons which will 


144 


CARD TRICKS 


become .apparent immediately. The sides and 
upper ends of these two glasses are hermetically 
sealed, while the lower end is left open. This 
opening corresponds with a secret hollow space 
in the lower end of the frame, which is filled 
with fine sand, which is of the same color 
(either white or black) as the removable back 
of the frame. Prior to the trick a card is placed 
between the back and double glass of the frame, 
which is then turned upside down. The sand 
thereby leaves the cavity in the lower end of 
the frame and fills the space between the 
glasses, causing the frame to appear as if it 
were entirely empty. While the latter is being 
covered with a borrowed handkerchief, it is se- 
cretly inverted, whereupon the sand runs back 
into the hollow space, causing the concealed 
card to become exposed. 

In passing the apparatus for inspection the 
conjurer exercises due care in preventing the 
frame from becoming accidentally turned up- 
side down, thus betraying the secret of the 
trick. The best plan for the performer to 
follow in this is to hold the frame in his own 
hand, and, taking it among the company, show 
it from all sides. 

My readers will readily perceive how useful 
this clever contrivance will prove for the ap- 
pearance and vanishing of selected cards, the 
beauty of the trick lying in the fact that, to the 


HOW TO DO THEM 


145 


minds of the spectators, there is apparently no 
chance for trickery in the simple construction 
of the frame, glass and back. 

SECOND METHOD 

This version of the Small Card Frame Trick 
is comparately little known, and will, therefore, 
be of interest to most of my readers. The plan 
used is entirely different from the one em- 
ployed in the first method. All parts of the 
apparatus, that is, frame, glass and back (which 
is kept in place by means of a pivoted cross 
piece) being taken apart at the end of the 
trick and passed for inspection. 

The card is previously concealed between the 
glass and back same as in the older form, dif- 
fering therefrom that instead of being hidden 
by sand, a removable curtain or a piece of 
cloth is used, the cloth, of course, being of the 
same color as the back of the frame. The 
upper end of this small curtain is stiffened 
slightly by having glued thereto a narrow strip 
of card board, wdiich protrudes a trifle at the 
back, coming out between the frame and back. 
In removing the handkerchief, with which the 
frame has been covered, the conjurer seizes the 
protruding end of the curtain at the same time 
and carries it away with the handkerchief (Fig. 
109), causing the concealed card to become ex- 
posed, and as there is now no trickery about 


146 


CARD TRICKS 


the apparatus it may be taken apart and passed 
for examination. While this is being done the 



pig. 109. 


conjurer has ample time to remove and dispose 
of the curtain concealed in the borrowed hand- 
kerchief. 


HOW TO DO THEM 


147 


THE CARDS AND MIRROR. 

In this trick three cards are selected and are 
shuffled into the pack, which the performer 
throws against a mirror. All the cards fall to 
the floor with the exception of the three selected 
ones, which remain attached to the glass. 

Previous to the performance the conjurer 
takes duplicates of the cards that he intends to 
force, and after placing one of them, say the 
Queen of Diamonds, on top of the other card, 
which we will suppose to be the Five of Spades, 
passes a fine thread through the lower left hand 
corner of both cards. Above and below the 
cards a knot is made in the thread, which thus 
practicaly forms a rivet. The Five of Spades 



FIG. 112. FIG. 113. FIG. 114. 

is now pushed over towards the right and the 
remaining card, the Three of Clubs, is placed 
on the Queen of Diamonds and is secured by 



148 


CARD TRICKS 


means of a second thread rivet to the lower 
right corner. To each of the upper corners of the 
Queen of Diamonds, a fine white thread or hair is 
then attached and connected with the Five of 
Spades and Three of Clubs so arranged as to 
hold the two end cards in a slanting position, 
suspended from the middle card the Queen of 
Diamonds. To the back of the Queen, a pellet 
of adhesive wax is then attached, whereupon 
the three cards thus prepared are vested. 

Three similar cards are now forced and are 
shuffled into the pack by the spectators. While 
they are occupied with this, the conjurer secret- 
ly obtains possession of the prepared cards, 
palming them and upon receiving the pack, un- 
©bservedly adds to it the three duplicates. He 
then throws the pack, waxed side of the pre- 
pared card foremost, squarely against the 
mirror, to which the Queen of Diamonds there- 
by becomes attached and the two cards fastened 
to its lower corners immediately arranging 
themselves upon either side of it, falling askant, 
being held by the hair attached to their upper 
corners. 


SINGULAR TRANSPOSITION. 

FIRST METHOD 

A spectator is requested to select two cards 
at random, to insert them in the middle of the 


HOW TO DO THEM 


149 


pack, and finally to place it on the table. This 
being done, the performer states his intentions 
of passing the two selected cards from the 
center to the bottom of the pack, by simply 
giving it a severe blow with the hand. No 
sooner said than done, for upon turning over 


f* 

* 

* 


* 


74 . 


♦ 

* 


* 

*5 


fig. 76 . 



the pack, the two cards are discovered on the 
bottom as promised. 

The secret of this very deceptive feat is 


150 


CARD TRICKS 


simplicity itself, a slight previous preparation 
being necessary. The conjurer has picked out 
the Seven of Clubs and Eight of Spades, and 
placed them on the bottom of the pack, while he 
takes the Eight of Clubs and Seven of Spades, 
and placed them in the center, forcing them 
from there on a spectator, whom he allows to 
get but a brief look at the cards. The Eight 
of Clubs and Seven of Spades are then 
returned to the pack, which is given a severe 
blow as described. The two bottom cards, the 
Seven of Clubs and Eight of Spades are then 
exhibited as the chosen ones. Transparent as 
this ruse may seem, it is rarely detected and 
then only through the neglect of the performer 
in his misdirection. Probatum est. 


SECOND METHOD. 

This is an elaboration of the trick just 
described. The pack is prepared by previously 
placing on the top the Six of Diamonds and 
the Seven of Hearts, while the Six of Hearts 
and Seven of Diamonds are contained in the 
middle of the pack, with the finger above them 
ready to make the double handed pass. Thus 
prepared the performer advances to a spectator 
and requesting him to draw two cards, makes 
the pass and forces the Seven of Diamonds and 


HOW TO DO THEM 151 


Six of Hearts from the center of the pack. The 
spectator is told not to look at the face of these 
two cards, but to place them on his lap or on 
the table. The pack is then handed to him and 
he is invited to select any other card at random 
from the middle of the pack, and to mark it on 




't 

9 ' 

9 

A * 

A 


FIG. 79. 

l 9 

9 

9 

9 

9 

W— - 

% 


fig. 81. 


the face side. While this is being done, the 
conjurer takes the pack and making the pass, 
thereby bringing the two cards on top, which 


152 


CARD TRICKS 


as will be remembered are the Six of Diamonds 
and Seven of Hearts, to the center, still keeping 
the two heaps divided by the little finger. The 
spectator is then asked to return the marked 
card to the pack, which the performer opens 
at the very place where the Six of Diamonds and 
Seven of Hearts are situated. He next re- 
quested the spectator to take the two first cards 
that he drew and to replace them anywhere in 
the pack. As the spectator is picking up the 
designated cards, (the Six of Hearts and 
seven of Diamonds) the. conjurer quickly makes 
the pass and brings all three cards, i. e., the 
marked ones, the Seven of Hearts and the Six 
of Diamonds to the top of the pack. The 
spectator does as he is bidden by inserting the 
two remaining cards in the pack at any place 
he chooses. The performer then states that he 
will cause the three chosen cards to assemble at 
the top of the pack, at the same moment slightly 
ruffling the latter. Three cards are then delibe- 
rately removed from the top and to all appear- 
ances, seem the chosen ones. 

As I have already stated in the description 
of the first version of the trick, the difference 
between the Six of Hearts and Seven of Diam- 
onds and the Seven of Hearts and the Six of 
Diamonds, is not at all apt to be noticed, especi- 
ally if the performer keeps the attention of the 
spectator engaged by the judicious use of 
patter. 


HOW TO DO THEM 


153 


VICE VERSA 

For this excellent trick, it is necessary to 
have two similar cards, which are placed on top 
of the pack. Asking some one to come forward 
and to shuffle the cards, the conjurer palms the 
two cards from the top and replaces them when 
the pack is returned to him. Making the pass, 
he forces one of the duplicate cards, which we 
will suppose to be Aces of Diamonds, and while 
the spectator is looking at his card and showing 

(a 


♦ 


♦ 

V 


FIG. 120. 

it to the audience, at the conjurer’s request, the 
latter quickly makes the pass, thereby bringing 
the second Ace back to the top and palms it. 
He then gives the pack to the temporary assist- 
ant and asks him to shuffle his card into the 
pack. Showing him the card that is now at 
the bottom of the pack, he gives it to the gentle- 
man and requests him to show it to the com- 
pany. 


154 


CARD TRICKS 


We will suppose this card to be the Jack of 
Clubs. The gentleman is invited to choose one 
of two envelopes lying on the table and to open 
it, the conjurer accompanying his request with 
a gesture of the right hand, which at the same 
time enables him to exchange the Jack of Clubs 
in his right hand, for the Ace of Diamonds on 
the top of the pack. This latter card, which 
everyone supposes to be the Jack of Clubs, is 
inserted face downward in the chosen envelope, 
which is selected by the spectator himself, who 



fig. 121. 


is afterwards told to write the name of the card, 
“Jack of Clubs,” on the outside of the envel- 
ope, which is then given to some one to hold. 

As will be remembered, the Jack of Clubs is 
still on the top of the pack. Running the cards 
before the eyes of the spectator, the performer 
invites him to point out the first card chosen, 
that is, the Ace of Diamonds; himself, of 


HOW TO DO THEM 


155 


course, professing ignorance as to its value. 
After this card has been found and removed, 
the performer exhibits it and deftly exchanges 
it for the Jack of Clubs on top of the pack, 
which is now enclosed in the remaining envel- 
ope, which is marked as containing the Ace of 
Diamonds and given to another spectator to 
hold. The performer now describes what has 
apparently taken place and then commands the 
two cards to change places. The envelopes are 
opened by the person holding them and the per- 
former’s command is found to have been 
obeyed. 


MYSTIC DIVINATION 

The conjurer introduces an ordinary pack of 
cards, and, after shuffling it thoroughly, invites 
the spectator to cut it as often as he pleases. 
Then, turning his back to the gentleman, he re- 
quests him to divide the pack into as many heaps 
as he desires, the heaps to be laid in successive 
order on the table. One of them is then to be 
chosen and covered with a handkerchief by the 
gentleman. This packet of cards, enveloped in 
the borrowed handkerchief, is placed in the spec- 
tator ’s pocket by the performer, who then pro- 
ceeds to call out or write on a blackboard the 
names of a number of cards. The gentleman 


156 


CARD TRICKS 


is requested to remove the cards from his pocket 
and finds that their names are in conformity 
with the predictions of the performer. 

The secret of this novel trick is, as usual, a 
very simple one. The pack used is prearranged 
after the formula of “Eight Kings threatened to 
Save, etc.” and is given a False Shuffle by the 
conjurer, who then allows the pack to be cut as 
often as desired, knowing that simple cutting 
will not disturb the order of the cards, which 
are next divided into a number of heaps, one 
of which is covered by a borrowed handkerchief, 
preferably of white silk. 

In the act of placing the packet in the gentle- 
man’s pocket, the conjurer slightly stretches that 
part of the handkerchief which surrounds the 
cards, and is thus enabled to read the top card 
through the fabric. Upon becoming acquainted 
with the name of the card, he can easily tell, by 
means of his formula, the names of the cards 
following it. In order to be able to tell the 
number of cards contained in the handkerchief, 
he simply looks at the top card of the heap 
which occupies the place next to the chosen one. 
This card serves as a cue to the name of the card 
at the bottom of those in the handkerchief. 


THE CARDS RISING THROUGH THE AIR 
In this form of the Rising Card Trick, the 


HOW TO DO THEM 


157 


performer holds the pack in the right hand and 
commands the first one of the selected cards to 
rise. The card leaves the pack as commanded 
and is seen floating through the air into the 
conjurer’s left hand, which is held some three 
feet above the pack. The card is seized, shown 
from all sides, and the same process repeated 
with the remaining chosen cards. 

Each one of the cards that rises in this mys- 



FIG. 136. 


158 


CARD TRICKS 


terious manner, is slightly prepared by gluing 
on the back two small strips A B cut from cards 
of a similar design. The strips are bent over in 
the shape of a hook as indicated in Fig. 136. 

For the sake of distinctness the hooks are made 
very perceptible in the diagram, although in 
reality they are hardly noticeable, especially if 
cards of an intricate pattern are used. These 
cards, all prepared alike, are concealed about the 
person of the conjurer, who commences the ex- 
periment by forcing similar cards. After the 
forced cards have been returned to the pack, the 



fig. 137. 


performer on his way to the table, adds to it the 
prepared cards, placing them on the top. 

Stretched horizontally across the stage at a 


HOW TO DO THEM 


159 


distance of about six feet or more from the floor, 
is a black silk thread A, Fig, 137, directly under 
which the artist takes his position. One end of 
this thread is fastened to a hook behind the left 
wing, while the other end passes through a screw 
eye attached behind the right wing, and is al- 
lowed to hang down three or four feet. To this 
end of the thread it attached a small bag which 
contains a few shot, the whole arrangment serv- 
ing simply as a weight to pull up the card. Care 
must be taken to have the bag just a trifle 
heavier than one card. 

While stating what is about to take place and 
indicating the process by a gesture, the perform- 
er elevates the left hand and with it brings 
down the thread to the position A2, and slips it 
under the hooks, of the rear card, (A B Fig 136) 
holding the pack rather firmly, so that the card 
will not make a premature appearance. At the 
proper time, he slightly relaxes his hold on the 
cards and the rear one is slowly carried, by the 
thread, up to the left hand, elevated to receive 
it, which in bringing down the card, fetches the 
thread as well. The latter is slipped under the 
hooks of the next selected card, which is now on 
the bottom of the pack. Thus all the chosen cards 
are successively made to rise in the same manner 
as the first one, 


160 


CARD TRICKS 


THE EXCELSIOR RISING CARDS 

In this trick, we become acquainted with a 
superior form of the Rising Card Trick, which 
has the great advantage over the other method 
in that no specially prepared cards are required. 
After the pack has been given to the spectators 
with the request to select any cards they desire, 
and after these cards have been returned to the 
pack, it is given a vigorous shuffle and placed 
into a handsome metal case, open at the top, 
front and back, as shown in Fig 138. This case 
is then placed on a small side table or stand, 
which is not draped in any way and the top of 
which is comparatively thin, giving the whole 
an appearance which precludes all idea of prep- 
aration. 

At the word of command, the first one cf the 
chosen cards rises out of the pack. It is seized 
by the conjurer, who passes it and also the card 
case and remaining cards, for inspection, re- 
questing the spectators to shuffle the cards once 
more, before replacing them in the case, which is 
then placed on the table and the next card made 
to rise. This process is repeated until all the 
chosen cards have made their appearance, the 
performer freely showing the case and cards 
which are shuffled each time before a card rises. 

The trick, in this instance, lies in the table, the 
leg of which contains a piston set in motion by 
a thread, in the hands of an assistant. The pis- 


HOW TO DO THEM 


161 


ton, rising, causes a curved clock spring to push 
upward through a small hole in the table top, its 
points (BB, Fig. 138) engaging the top card, 
which is one of the chosen ones, forcing it up and 
out. As this happens on the rear side of the 
pack, the process is neither seen nor suspected by 
the company. As the performer removes the risen 
card, the assistant relaxes his hold on the thread 



attached to the piston, which recedes within the 
table leg and carries with it the clock spring fast- 
ened to its upper end. In this manner all the 
chosen cards are successively made to rise. 

The method of discovering what cards have 


162 


CARD TRICKS 


been chosen, is rather unique. The pack that 
is handed to the spectators with the request to 
choose from it any cards they like, is an unpre- 
pared one, which, however, is adroitly changed 
by the performer for a narrower pack, while the 
selected cards are still in the possession of the 
spectators. These cards, when replaced in the 
narrow pack, can easily be distinguished from 
the others on account of being a shade wider. 
So, all the conjurer has to do after the pack has 
been returned to him, is to make the pass at a 
wide card, thus bringing it to the top of the pack 
and placing it to the rear in the case. If the 
performer is at all skillful, he can ascertain the 
names of the chosen cards from the spectators, 
and before replacing the cards in the case, bring 
the card he desires to have rise next, to the back 
of the pack by means of the pass. 


THE RISING CARDS AND TUMBLER 

After a number of cards have been selected, 
they are returned to the pack, which is then 
shuffled and placed, for the time being, on the 
table. The conjurer then introduces an ordinary 
tumbler, which is just large enough to contain 
the cards, which are then placed into it. Retir- 
ing, at some distance, the performer asks the 
first person who took a card, for its name, and 


HOW TO DO THEM 


163 


upon being informed, commands the card to rise 
out of the pack. His command is instantly 
obeyed, whereupon, he seizes the card and imme- 
diately passes it for inspection. In the same 
manner, the other cards rise out of the glass, and 
finally, both pack and glass are examined to 
prove absence of all preparation. 

The cards used are, of course, forced and are 
placed indifferently in the pack, which is laid 
down while the performer exhibits the glass, into 
which the cards are then placed ; but not the first 
pack, but another one lying next to it on the 
table. The substituted pack is prepared in the 
following manner: In the upper edge of the 
first card a slit is made into which is engaged the 
end of a fine black thread, which is prevented 
from being pulled out by a knot, in the end of 
it. The thread passes over the back of this card 
and upon it is then placed a duplicate of the last 
card, that the conjurer intends to force. The 
thread is led upward on the back of the last card, 
and passing over the top of an indifferent card 
and down its back, a duplicate of the next card is 
then laid on the thread, which passes up and 
over another indifferent card. This process is 
continued until all selected cards are so arranged 
in the pack, that a pull on the thread will cause 
them to rise in succession, while the indifferent 
cards over which the thread passes, are left 
undisturbed. When the prepared pack has been 


164 


CARD TRICKS 


inserted in the tumbler, it is an easy matter for 
the assistant, in the possession of the end of the 
thread, to cause the cards to rise at the perform- 
er’s command. After the last card has risen, the 
conjurer with the right hand takes the pack out 
of the glass, seizing the latter with the left hand, 
and advances towards the company to show that 
the cards and tumbler are unprepared. The 
assistant retains his hold on the thread, thereby 
pulling it out of the slit in the firt card, and thus 
removes all traces of the modus operandi. 

If the performer desires to dispense with the 
assistant, he must have fastened to the end of the 
thread a bent black pin, which is secretly hooked 
into the trousers. Retiring to a distance suffi- 
cient for the thread to become taut, he commands 
the first card to rise, at the same time retreating 
a trifle, thereby causing the card to be forced out 
by the thread. Showing this card and placing it 
on the table, he again moves backward and causes 
the next card to rise, continuing in this manner 
until all the cards have appeared. Finally he 
secretly detaches the hook from his trousers and 
in removing the cards from the glass, pulls the 
thread out of the slit in the front card. 


A COMEDY OF ERRORS. 

FIRST METHOD. 

This is the same trick that has just been 


HOW TO DO THEM 


165 


described, with the addition that every card that 
rises, undergoes same transformation during the 
operation. The first card that ascends, usually 
a Jack, comes out with its back towards the com- 
pany, and upon being reprimanded for this 
offense, visibly turns around and then continues 
rising with its face towards the spectators. The 
second card to the performer’s obvious conster- 
nation, is a blank one, which, however, changes 
into the selected card. The third card has a cor- 
ner missing, which at the conjurer’s command 
instantly appears on it. 

The cards used for the experiment are mechan- 
ical ones, a detailed description of which will 
be found under the proper heading. The first 
card is the Turning Card, the second one, a card 
constructed on the same principle, excepting that 
the back of the flap on the upper half of the card 
is white, causing the card to appear blank, as it 
rises. The last card is the Improved Torn Cor- 
ner Card, consisting of an ordinary card, over 
the corner of which has been placed a pocket, 
made of black silk. 

SECOND METHOD. 

In this improved form of the last trick, every 
card after having performed its particular evo- 
lution, is immediately passed for examination. 
Besides, the additional effect is introduced, the 
picture of one of the cards, loosens itself from 


166 


CARD TRICKS 


the card proper and makes a bow to the com- 
pany. 

The cards employed are constructed on the 
same principle, as employed in the first version 
of the trick, with this addition that the mechan- 
ical part is separable from the card proper. 



In this respect they are identical with the 
Nonpareil Changing Card, the card proper being 
passed for inspection, while the trick part is 
kept concealed in the performer’s hand. Fig. 


HOW TO DO THEM 


167 


139 illustrates the construction of the card with 
the loosening picture. Over the upper half of the 
card a closely fitting pocket is slipped, to the 
lower edge, of which is hinged, by means of a 
strip of muslin, the picture A which thus appears 
to loosen itself from the margin of the card, 





FIG. 140. 

when half wayout. Seizing this card and trans- 
ferring it to the left hand, the conjurer draws 
off the pocket, keeping it palmed in the right. 


168 


CARf) TRICKS 


The card is then given to a spectator with the 
request to examine it. 

The Turning Card Fig. 140 has a similar 
pocket C to which the flap D is glued. By means 
of an elastic hinge in the middle of the card, 
which has previously been folded longitudinally 
through its center, the flap D instantly resumes 
its normal position, being released as soon as the 
upper half of the card protrudes above the pack. 
The pocket C is retained in the right hand of the 
performer, while with the left, the unprepared 
card is given out and made to bear all the exami- 
nation. The third one which transforms itself 
from a blank card into a court card, is construct- 
ed similar to the Turning Card, except that in- 
stead of the back of the flap representing a card, 
it is made of white paper and appears blank until 
the change occurs. 

The last card, a corner of which is magically 
restored, is the Improved Torn Corner Card 
already mentioned in the last trick. After the 
black pocket has been jerked off by the assistant 
pulling the thread attached thereto, the card can 
be subjected to a thorough examination. 


[the end.] 


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CATALOGUE OF F. J. DRAKE & CO. 


Frederick J. Drake & Company’s 

CATALOGUE OF 

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a 

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Catalogue of F. j. Erake & cO. 


DUTCH DIALECT. 

Recitations, Readings and Jokes, as told by our fore- 
most vaudeville stars, Weber and Fields, Rogers Broth- 
ers Marshall P. Wilder, Ezra Kendall, Geo. Fuller 
Golden, Gus Williams, and others. Every lover of Ger- 
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choicest emanations of the most celebrated and re- 
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day. Rip-roaring, side-splitting Dutch dialect, wot 
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in a continuous stream of laughter and merriment, and 
receive tumultous applause at every appearance, will 
find in this book exactly what they require. n 
Paper Covers 25 £EN lb. 

choice dialect and vaudeville stage 

JOKES. 

A New Standard collection of Readings, Recitations, 
Jokes, Gags, and Monologues in Irish, Dutch, Scotch, 
Yankee, French, Italian, Spanish, Chinese, Negro, and 
other dialects, representing every phase of sentiment 
from the keenest humor or the tenderest pathos to that 
which is strongly dramatic. We heartily recommend 
this book to amateurs and professionals as being the 
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of the Vaudeville stage. It is full of ginger and un- 
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in you, it will have to come out if read. ^ CFjNTS 

cents: 

CONUNDRUMS AND RIDDLES. 

Collected and arranged by John Ray. This is the latest 
largest and best collection of Conundrums and Riddles 
- ever published. Containing upwards of two thousand 
choice P new intellectual Conundrums and Riddles 
which will sharpen your wit and lead you to think 
quickly They are always a source of great amuse- 
ment and pleasure, whiling away tedious hours and 
putting every one in a general good humor. Any P ' 
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lead in entertaining a company and keep them in roars 
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Amateurs and professionals for entertainments of all 

Paper Covers^ 50 CENTS. 


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CATALOGUE OF E. J. DRAKE & CO. 


TOASTS AND AFTER-DINNER SPEECHES. 

Compiled and Edited by William Young Stafford. 
How many times have you been called upon to re- 
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This book contains Presentation Speeches, At and 
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From this book you may learn some lessons that will 
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This is the choicest, newest and most complete col- 
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uttrances of all eminent statesmen. Selections for 
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Patriotic occasions. The following are some of the 
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The Battle of Santiago. That Starry Flag of Ours. 
Hobson’s Daring Deed. 

Gen. Wheeler at Santiago. 

The Flag Goes By. 


In Manilla Bay. 

My Soldier Boy. 

The Yankees in Battle. 
The Banner Betsy Made. 
The Battle Field. 
Washington’s Name. 

The Stars and Stripes. 
Our Flag. 

Etc., Etc., Etc. 


Deeds of Valor at Santi- 
ago. 

The Negro Soldier. 

A Race for Dear Life. 
Our Country’s Call. 
Patriotism of American 
Women. 

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Sinking of the Merrimac. 
The Fourth of July. 
Columbia. 

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“COMIC RECITATIONS” AND READINGS. 

A New Volume of Comic readings and Recitations, 
compiled and edited by Wm. Young Stafford. Many of 
which have never before been published in book form. 
Its contents comprise some of the best efforts of such 
world-renowned humorists as Mark Twain, Joseph kil- 
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Nye. Ben King, Geo. Thatcher, Lew Dockstader, Wm. 
S. Gilbert, James Whitcomb Riley and others. 

This is an unequalled collection of the most amusing, 
eccentric, droll and humorous pieces, suitable for reci- 
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Amateur Theatricals. It would be impossible to find 
so many irresistibly funny pdeces in any other tongue. 
Thev range from the most refined wit to the broadest 
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LITTLE FOLKS’ SPEAKER. 

Containing cute and catchy pieces for recitatipns by 
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opining and closing Children’s Eentertainments The 
subjects are such as delight the infantile mind and 
the language, while childlike, is not childish. All of 
the selections are new and fresh many being spe( ually 
written for this volume. It would be difficult to nna 
another collection so replete with short, bright, cheery 
printed pieces as contained in this book. 

Cloth, Gold Titles 

DELIGHTFUL ENTERTAINMENTS. 

W T ith programmes for amusements, containing parlor 
games' Charming tableaux; tricks of magic; charades. 
Ind conundrums! curious puzzles; phrenology and mind 
reading" hypnotism; palmistry; humorous and pathetic 
dialogues etc., etc. Including etiquette and 
the^art of ’ entertaining, the whole forming a charming 
t?ea?^y of pastimes for the home, public schools and 
academies lodges, social gatherings .amateur theatr- 
cals, Sunday-schools, etc. Beutifuny illusrratea wirn 
hundreds of fine engravings. Size 7y 2 xl0. kiieganuy 
bound in cloth, with emblematic designs in gold and 
inks. 350 double column pages; clear type. S1 75 

Price 

Any Book Advertised in This CataloSlie Senl ’ 
Postpaid, on Receipt ol 
FREDERICK J. DRAKE & CO., 

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6 CATALOGUE OF F. J. DRAKE & CO. 


HAVERLY’S NEGRO MINSTRELS. 

A complete hand book written to encourage, help and 
guide amateurs in their efforts to form troupes and 
give a successful evening’s performance. An entire 
program is arranged with full details, consisting^ of a 
first part with the brightest dialogue between “Tarn- 
bo,” “Bones” and the “Middleman;” the introduction 
of ballads and songs, etc., new and side-splitting stump 
speeches follow, filling the interim between the first and 
second parts. The latter suggests the usual olio per- 
formance of dances, banjo solo and novelty acts, the 
entire program is concluded by a fine afterpiece given 


bv most of the troupe. * * * 

There is no more popular and successful form ot 
public entertainment for amateurs than negro minstrel 
shows. Thev consist of music and fun and when free 
from vulgarity are bound to please any audience. lVir. 
Jack Haverly was one of the most widely experienced 
men on the minstrel stage, and m this book has drawn 
on his stock of tried features, selecting and offering 
his best therefrom. 

Besides arranging the program and giving the com- 
plete dialogue for the same from the rising to tlie 
falling of the curtain. Mr. Haverlv has prefaced it by 
short chapters on “Make-up,” “Dress,” “Settings” and 
some very helpful general remarks. 

The addit.onal matter in the way of gags and jokes 
makes this book one of the best joke books published. 

Descriptions of how to walk the cake-walk, and 
other useful matter, all of which makes this book the 
most complete one of the subject ever issued. 

Paper Covers 25 CENTS. 

Cloth, Gold Titles 50 CENTS. 


FACIOLOGY. 

By La Vergne Belden Stevens, L.L.B. New edition 
revised and enlarged. Presenting this volume to the 
public the publishers have refrained as much as pos- 
sible from being too scientific, and to present it in a 
clear and practical form. Each chapter is profusely 
illustrated, by heads and faces taken from photo- 
graphs from life of the most famous men and women 
who are noted for abnormal developments, good or 
bad. If you want to know Human Nature you should 
procure a cony of this valuable work. 


Paper Covers 25 CENTS. 

Cloth, Gold Titles 50 CENTS. 


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7 


COMPLETE DEBATER’S MANUAL. 

By Charles Walter Brown. This book will fill a place 
occupied by no other. It is not only a manual of parlia- 
mentary usages but a complete guide to all matters 
pertaining to Organization. In Parliamentary Usages 
it is P’ll and accurate. It gives in brief space all es- 
sentials of parliamentary usages as applied to: Lodges, 
G. A. R. Posts, High School Societies, Literary and 
Debating Clubs, Town and Ward Meetings, Political 
Conventions, etc. 

Debating Clubs will find this book unequaled. It tells 
us all about how to start the machinery. How to out- 
line and prepare a debate. It gives full debates, so 
that the inexperienced speaker may know about what he 
is expected to say, and how much is required to fill his 
allotted time. In Organization “The Debator’s Manual” 
excels. It begins with the first steps and gives a model 
organization, Constitution, By-Laws, etc. 

Price, Paper Covers 25 CENTS. 

Cloth, Gold Titles 50 CENTS. 


NEW CENTURY AMERICAN STAR SPEAKER. 

Being a standard work on Composition and Oratory. 
Containing rules for expressing written thought in a 
correct and elegant manner; model selections from the 
most famous authors; subjects for compositions and 
how to treat them; use of illustrations; Descriptive, 
Pathetic and Humorous writings, etc., etc. Together 
with a Peerless Collection of Readings and Recita- 
tions, including programmes for special occasions from 
authors of world-wide renown, for Public Schools, 
Academies, Colleges, Lodges, Sunday-Schools and 
Social Entertainments. The whole forming an un- 
rivaled Self-Educator for young people. Embellished 
with hundreds of fine illustrations. 

Large 8-Vo. Cloth binding, with original designs on 
front and back covers. Price $1.75 


PRACTICAL ETIQUETTE. 

A strictly modern book on Politeness. Just what one 
needs to keep in touch with what is “Correct” at the 
present time. Hints on politeness and good breeding, 
sensible talks about etiquette for home, visiting, travel- 
ing. dinner parties, evening entertainments, social inter- 
courses, dress, letter writing, etc. 

Price. Paper Cover 25 CENTS. 

Cloth, Gold Titles 50 CENTS. 


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CATALOGUE OF F. J. DRAKE & CO. 


“IRISH WIT AND HUMOR,” 

Containing the best sayings of all Irish speakers and 
the efforts of all famous Irish dialect writers. Irish 
wit and humor is a factor in human experience which 
the world can ill afford to lose. In some of its quali- 
ties it is second to the wit and humor of no nation on 
earth. Judging it by its average specimens— and it 
would be manifestly misleading 10 take a lower stand- 
ard — it manages to convey an idea fully; but in its 
haste to express itself,— the metaphors get mixed, and 
the thoughts transposed or reversed. For playfulness, 
for sarcastic keenness, for gracefulness, and for red- 
hot scornfulness, nothing is more effective than some 
of the examples of the wit and humor of the Irishman, 
as told in this timely volume. Amateur theatricals or 
entertainments of any character will find this book a 
most acceptable addition for gathering material. 

Paper Covers 25 CENTS. 

Cloth, Gold Titles 50 CENTS. 


HOW TO TELL. FORTUNES BY CARDS. 

By Madame Zancig. Fully illustrated. This little 
manual has been written to give amusement, and it 
describes the methods that are commonly used by 
Gypsies and others when they profess to “read ycur 
fortune.” Many have witnessed a great number of 
most wonderful and useful conclusions which have been 
produced by this science, and many future events have 
been foretold. Much depends on the ingenuity and skill 
of the reader, who, after having duly obtained the true 
and full meaning that each card in the pack bears sepa- 
rately, and in its independent state, must be also fully 
enabled to form, judge, and vary all their several mix- 
tures, company, and combinations, which are easily 
deducted and calculated by a person of an ordinary 
capacitv. Any one can tell the present, past and fu- 
ture by following these simple instructions. Fully illus- 


Paper Covers 25 CENTS. 

Cloth, Gold Title 50 CENTS. 


HIBERNIAN SONGSTER. 

A grand collection of over 500 songs that are dear 
to the Irish heart. Including sheets of selected music 
and numerous toasts and sentiments. 


Paper Covers 25 CENTS. 

Cloth, Gold Titles 50 CENTS. 


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9 


LOVE LETTERS. 

With directions how to write and when to use them. 
By Ingoldsby North. This is a branch of correspond- 
ence which fully demands a volume alone to provide 
for the various phases incident to Love, Courtship, and 
Marriage. Few persons, however otherwise fluent with 
the pen, are able to express in words the promptings 
of the first dawn of love, and even, the ic? once 
broken, how to follow up a correspondence with the 
dearest one in the whole world and how to smooth the 
way with those who need to be consulted in the mat- 
ter. r ihe numerous letters and answers in this book 
go far to overcome the difficulties and embarrassment 
inseparable from letters on this all-absorbing topic, in 
all stages from beginning to end of a successful court- 
ship, aided in many instances by the author’s sensible 
comments on the specimen letters, and his valuable 
hints under adverse contingencies. It also contains 
the Art of Secret Writing. The language of Love por- 
trayed, and rules in grammar. 

Paper Covers 25 CENTS. 

Cloth 50 CENTS. 

AMERICAN IDEAL HOMES* 

Edited by Benj. F. Cobb, containing plans of Eighty 
houses, ranging in price from $550 up to $6 500, two 
churches, five barns, three sheds, one store building 
and summer cottages. These plans were drawn by a 
licensed architect of the State of Illinois, who has 
given his especial attention to the planning of medium- 
priced houses. In designing these house plans great 
care has been taken in making these perspectives 
artistic and the arrangement of the houses convenient, 
and the floor plans of the different houses presented 
offer so many suggestions as to make the book almost 
invaluable to anyone planning a home. The book is 
T^xlO 1 /^ inches in size and is bound in English green 
cloth. The perspective views and floor plans, which are 
both given, are printed from the best half-tone cuts 
on enamel paper, and the prices of the blue prints and 
specifications, which we furnish, are shown in the 
book. The average price of the blue prints and speci- 
fications is five dollars a set, and they are just the 
same as plans which if prepared especially for you 
by an architect would cost you from fifty to seventy- 
five dollars. 

Pr'ce. Cloth Binding $1.50 


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10 


I 


CATALOGUE OF F. J. DRAKE & CO. 


BROWN’S BUSINESS BETTER WRITER AND BOOK 
OF SOCIAL, FORMS. 

By C. W. Brown. The most complete practical com- 
pendium of correspondence and business forms ever 
published. Gives full instructions for writing, and speci- 
mens of Business Letters, Legal Forms, Leases, Deeds, 
Wills, Contracts; models for Refined Love-Letters, cov- 
ering Courtship, Engagements, Marriage; Social Forms, 
Invitations, Acceptances, Regrets, Condolences; Family 
Letters for Parents, Guardians and Children; How to 
address the President and Government Officials. Also 
leading synonyms. Teaches how to write correctly. 

When you wish to write a letter you have only to 
consult the book, find the model, and then form your 
letter upon that, putting what you want to say to suit 
yourself. 

“Brown’s Letter Writer” is not full of love-sick 
effusions and long-winded models of high flown style 
from impossible Chesterfields to imaginary Counts or 
Duchesses. It is plain, easy and to the point. It will 
tell you anything you really need in the way of a 


letter. 

Paper Cover 26 CENTS. 

Cloth, Gold Titles 50 CENTS. 


HERRMANN’S BOOK OF MAGIC. 

Including a full exposure of the Black Art. This is a 
practical treatise on how to perform modern tricks, by 
Prof. Herrmann. Great care has been exercised by the 
author to include in this book only such tricks as have 
never before appeared in print. This assures the per- 
former a secret and almost endless fund for suitable 
material to be used on all occasions. With little prac- 
tice, almost anyone can perform the more simple tricky, 
and with practice, as he becomes more adept, he can 
perform the most difficult. No book published contain? 
a greater variety of material for conjurers and sleight- 
of-hand performers than this book. Coins, cards, silk 
hat, handkerchiefs, balls, are all introduced in the many 
programs offered, thus affording one an endless variety 
from which to select for parlor or stage entertainments. 
Fully illustrated. By a knowledge of what is contained 
in this book on Black Art, you can make the weak as 
strong as a lion, or the “bully” as timid as a child. You 
can cure disease, cause others to come to you, love you, 
and obey your every wish. Or, if you desire, you can 
make fun by the hour through its agency. 


Paper Covers 25 CENTS. 

Cloth, Gold Titles 50 CENTS. 


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11 


“PRACTICAL LESSONS IN HYPNOTISM.” 

By L. W. De Laurence, A.M., Ph.D., LL.D., Instruc- 
tor of Hypnotism, Personal Magnetism, Messmerism, 
Magnetic Healing, Suggestive Therapeutics, Psychol- 
ogy, etc., at the American School of Psychology. This 
is the author’s latest and best work. It gives the only 
course which starts the student out upon a plain, com- 
mon sense basis of Hypnotizing people. Each of the 
many chapters contain from ten to thirty practical les- 
sons prepared especially for self-instruction, a feature 
never before offered the public. Many books pub- 
lished on Hypnotism pretend to teach the student with- 
out first mastering the real principles and entirely ig- 
noring the constituent elements of Psychology. Prof. 
De Laurence teaches a method which will enable any 
student to go right into a promiscuous audience without 
any subjects whom you have previously hypnotized, and 
give successful hypnotic demonstrations. He has 
demonstrated the fact that anybody who can read can 
learn his methods as contained in this valuable book, 
the instructions are plain and the methods are the 
result of long experience, careful research, and much 
study. Thousands have mastered his instructions as 
taught in this book, and are now successfully apply- 
ing Personal Magnetism and Hypnotism in their daily 
vocations, which is sufficient evidence to prove the 
worth of this volume. Be sure and get this book, Prac- 
tical Lessons in Hypnotism, By L. W. De Lawrence. 


Fully illustrated. 

Paper Covers 25 CENTS. 

Cloth, Gold Titles 50 CENTS. 


“SAFE METHODS OF BUSINESS.” 

Containing the latest and most correct methods of 
conducting every business on absolutely safe principles, 
by Hon. Fran* Gilbert, Ex-Sub Treasurer U. S. To the 
busy person time is money, and, for the idle, informa- 
tion has little attraction. The book that is terse, point- 
ed and pithy is the one that is read and prized. This 
volume possesses these requisites in a remarkable de- 
gree. It contains no dead matter, the pages being filled 
with facts, figures and general information, involving 
law, both State and National, commerce, agriculture, 
social customs, mercantile transactions, and calcula- 
tions, and the rights and wrongs of civil life— all in a 
form carefully designed for practical utility. 12 Mo., 
Cloth, 300 pages, fully illustrated. 

Price $1.00. 


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CATALOGUE OF F. J. DRAKE & CO. 


BECAUSE I LOVE YOU. 

Tlie Book of Love, Courtship and Marriage. 

It fully explains How Maidens Become Happy Wives 
and Bachelors Become Happy Husbands in a brief 
space of time and by easy methods. Also Complete Di- 
rections for Declaring Intentions, Accepting Vows and 
Retaining Affections both Before and After Marriage, 
describing the invitations, the dresses, the ceremony, 
and the proper behavior of both bride and bridegroom, 
whether in public or behind the nuptial curtain. It also 
tells plainly how to begin courting, the way to get 
over bashfulness the way to “sit up,” the way to 
find the soft spot in the sweetheart’s breast, the way 
to write a love letter, the way to easily win a girl’s con- 
sent, the way to “do up things” before and after en r 
gagement, and hundreds of other things of vast import- 
ance to lovers. This is just the treatise to be in the 
hands of every young bachelor or maiden, every mar- 
ried man or woman, every widow or widower, young 


and old. 

Paper Covers 25 CENTS. 

Cloth, Gold Titles 50 .CENTS. 


LESSONS ON PHRENOLOGY. 

A Complete Illustrated treatise. By Prof. William 
Windsor, L.L.B., Ph. D. Phrenologist and Anthropolo- 
gist. New Edition revised and enlarged. The unremit- 
ting demand made by an indulgent and appreciative 
public for a new edition of the lectures, By Prof. Wind- 
sor, has compelled the publishers to issue this new and 
complete course in Phrenology, which is in every re- 
gard a most careful and easy method of Instruction 
In that popular science. The book is fully illustrated 
with carefully prepared drawings, which will enable 
any one to fully master the profession. 


Paper Covers 25 CENTS. 

Cloth, Gold Title 50 CENTS. 


LITTLE FOLKS’ DIALOGUES AND DRAMAS. 

A collection of original Dialogues and Dramas by 
various authors, sprightly and sensible, particularly 
adapted for little people from three to twelve years 
old, on subjects and ideas fitted to their age, handled 
in the quaint manner of childhood, and developing the 
germ of mimicry and appropriate action, so often ob- 
served in even children of tender age. Suitable for 
all occasions. Special day celebrations, etc. With 
costumes for boys and girls. 


Paper Covers 25 CENTS. 

Cloth, Gold Titles 50 CENTS. 


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13 


MODERN QUADRILLE CALL BOOK AND COMPLETE 
DANCING MASTER. 

Containing all the new modern square dances and 
tabulated forms for the guidance of the leader 01 others 
in calling them, full and complete dire c tlo J ls * or p?®in 
formine 1 everv known square dance, such as fiain 
( cmirifls Polka Quadrills, Prairie Queen, United 
States Quadrille, Presidential Quadrille, Varieties 
Quadrille, Francaise, Cake Walk Quadrille, Dixie Fig- 
ure Gill I Left Behind Me, Old Dan Tucker, Money 
Musk Waltz Lanciers, American National k^ciers. 
Military Lanciers, Columbian Lanciers, Oakland 
Minuet. Waltz Quadrilles, etc., etc. . . • * 

In the Round Dances, a special feature consists i of 
the introduction of the Wirth and other "f^est meth- 
ods of teaching the steps o( th ® ^ " geDer- 

nne-hiv illustrated by diagrams that they can oe per 
feetfy^masterai without the need of persona mtroduc- 
tion. In this manner are clearly d ^scribed the Wa.ltz : 

tar 1 y P Schott > is^h 1 e, G the e A 1 rk, H Caprlce"^er^n, ^Minuet, 

The “German” introduces over One Hundred of 
newest and most popular Figures, fully described, and 
conveniently grouped for ready reference. 

'Every' information in regard to the service of Ball; 
Room Etiquette, duties of Leaders, and general 1 
struction is fully and clearly given. ^ Q-gjq-rpg. 

Paper Covers CENTS*. 

Cloth, Gold Titles o0 

THE GYPSY WITCH DREAM BOOK AND POLICY 
PLAYER’S GUIDE. 

This is the most complete dream book and policy 

placers’ guide published^ It contains an alphabetical 

Fiat nf dreams on every subject, including the lucky 
“E” Birtlfdays 

gtLl^er?ng^of £ ^he el matmtaf n alone^hak er occi^lied e< many 

years of careful research. ^ GENTS 

Paper Covers CENTS. 

Cloth 


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CATALOGUE OP F. J. DRAKE & CO. 


“ELECTRICITY FOR ENGINEERS.” 


By Charles Desmond. Tenth Edition, revised and 
enlarged. This is the accepted standard authority on 
Electricity for Engineers. Two volumes in one. Vol- 
ume one (constant current), contains a clear and com- 
prehensive treatise on the principles, construction and 
operation of dynamos, moters, lamps, indicators, and 
measuring instruments, also a full explanation of the 
electrical terms used in the book. Volume two (Alter- 
nate Current Apparatus), contains an explanation of 
the principles governing the generator of, and a de- 
scription of the instruments and machinery used in con- 
nection with Alternate electrical currents. Superbly 
illustrated with 138 fine line illustrations. 12 Mo. 
Cloth, 430 pages. Price $2.50. 

FIRST LESSONS IN ELECTRICITY. 


W. Jerome Harrison. Revised and enlarged by 
William L. Weber. This is an elementary hand book 
of lessons, experiments and inventions. *It is a book for 
beginners, though it includes as well examples for the 
advanced students. The author stands second to none 
in the scientific world, and this exhaustive work will be 
found an invaluable assistance to either the student 
or mechanic. The following subjects are treated: 
frictional electricity, magnetism, current electricity 
electrostatics, electromagnetics, measurements, of cur- 
rents, electro-optics, induction currents, electro-chem- 
istry, telegraphs and telephones, etc., etc. 

Paper Covers 25 CENTS. 

^ loth 50 CENTS. 

STANDARD PERFECTION POULTRY BOOK. 


By C. C. Shoemaker. The recognized standard work 
in poultry in this country adopted by the Breeders’ 
Poultry Association. It contains a complete descrip- 
tion of all the varieties of. fowls, including Turkeys 
Ducks, and Geese, also full directions for operating in- 
cubators and brooders. 


Many old-fashioned farmers are inclined to discredit 
the statement that there is money in poultry Why’ 
Because they are not up to the new and improved ideas 
in poultry management. A little trial of the rules laid 
down m this book will soon dispel all misgivings in this 
direction, and tend to convince the most skeptical that 
there is money in poultry-keeping. Fully illustrated. 
Paner Covers 25 CENTS. 


Cloth 


.50 CENTS; 


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15 


PRACTICAL, HOUSE BUILDER. 

— Compiled and edited by H. E. Burnham, Architect. 
This valuable little manual gives in simple style the 
correct and most economical plans and specifications for 
building houses for towns or country, barns, stables, 
churches, etc. It deals thoroughly with the practical 
building of a house; hundreds of details which the 
amateur builder usually learns through expensive ex- 
perience. It contains specimens of contracts, specifi- 
cations and plans, and a study of it will save omission 
and extras. The plans deal with houses costing from 
$300 to $4,000, which makes it the most valuable and up- 
to-date house builder published. Fully illustrated. 


Paper Covers 25 CENTS. 

Cloth, Gold Title 50 CENTS. 


TOKOLOGY. 

A book for every woman. By Alice B. Stockham, 
M.D. This is unquestionably the most valuable work 
of the kind published. The author, in sympathy with 
the needs of her sex, discusses at length, with strength 
and purity, physical questions of the greatest import- 
ance. Complete, plain and specific directions for the 
care of a woman during the entire term of pregnancy, 
including baths, diet, exercise, clothing and medical 
treatment. Explicit lessons are given for her manage- 
ment during and after confinement. Plain instructions 
for the care of an infant, its clothing, bathing, nursing, 
etc., are given. Profusely illustrated. Also a special 
chart of female organs. 

Cloth $2.25. 

Morocco $2.75. 

HOUSEHOLD COOK BOOK. 

Complete Modern Housekeeping Manual. A compre- 
hensive collection of new, choice and thoroughly tested 
recipes, including every department of domestic codk- 
ery. Especially adapted for household use. Also con- 
taining medical and toilet hints, invalid cookery, plans 
for setting the table, carving, and a great variety of 
information invaluable to every housekeeper. Profusely 
illustrated. 

Besides being the very latest it is also the largest 
and most reliable Cook Book published. Everything is 
practical, and of the twenty-eight hundred cooking 
and house-keeping recipes, the greater majority will 
be found serviceable in all homes. While the aim has 
been to give the receipts for all dishes, even the more 
elaborate have not been overlooked. 

(Continued on page 16.) 


Any Book Advertised in This Catalogue Sent, 
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CATALOGUE OF F. J. DRAKE & CO. 


HOUSEHOLD COOK BOOK— Continued. 

The book contains 656 large octavo pages, hand- 
somely printed from new plates on a good quality of 
toned paper. It is handsomely bound in white oil clith 
with marble edges and is embossed with a special cover 

design in inks. Price $1.50 

There are nearly double the number of recipes in this 
book that are found in any other book published, as 
will be found in the comparative table below: 



Mrs. Lnicoln’s 
Cook Book.. 

Century 

Cook Book. . 

Three Meals 

A Day 

White House 
Cook Book.. 

i 

Household 
Cook Book... 

No. Words 

198,000 

201,000 

242,000 

240,000 

410,000 

No. Pages 

536 

587 

554 

590 

656 

Recipes, Total No.. 

1,200 

1,300 

2,300 

1,850 

2,s00 

Recipes for Fish 

39 

41 

60 

59 

170 

Recipes for Soups.. 
Recipes for Shell 

43 

47 

65 

53 

89 

Fish 

Recipes for Sauces 

39 

32 

33 

46 

55 

for Fish and Meat 

42 

41 

28 

38 

100 

Recipes for Meats.. 

10S 

120 

103 

134 

243 

Recipes for Salads. 
Recipes for Vegeta- 

18 

34 

38 

30 

93 

bles. . ...... 

Recipes f. Puddings 

62 

73 

101 

100 

176 

and Dumplings ... 

46 

25j 

112 

125 

133 

Recipes for Cakes.. 

81 

52 

138 

125 

303 

Recipes for Deserts 
Recipes for Ice 

56 

45 

112 

108 

152 

Creams and Ices. 
Recipes for Candy 

38 

43 

24 

19 

55 

Making 

Recipes for Jams, 
Jellies, 

None 

28 

44 

41 

75 

Marmalades 

24 

32 

110 

39 

142 

Recipes for Pickles 
Recipes for Bever- 

10 

6 

60 

31 

75 

ages 

Recipes for Invalid 

20 

30 

30 

52 

97 

Cookery 

Recipes for Chafing 

68 

None 

56 

45 

33 

Dish j 

None 

20 

None 

None 

82 


Any Book Advertised in This Catalogue Sent, 
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CATALOGUE OF F. J. DRAKE & CO. 


17 


T Ey ^^.bU?^T/y«n N “ifh 0 ?o K i,e up to the minute 
you must have the new hook on Magic and 
illusions. 

The oaees of this excellent cyclopedia on Magic 
abound with thoroueh descriptions and beautiful lllus- 
fradons of the Very Newest Tricks and Illusions, and 
also contains a great many hints which will prove in- 
valuable to the amateur as well as the professional ma- 
^ci U an ble it t0 is a'iso.the only work published which con- 
tains full instructions on the Art ofJugglmg. 

We highly recommend the purchase of this book, 
which is far superior to any of ^numerous 
on Coniuring which have appeared in the late years. 
sS confide" t S arl we of the fact that our customers will 
h P rnnre than uleased with this book, we otter to re 
fund* the amount paid for it, if the book does not come 
up in every way to the purchaser’s expectation. ^ ^ 

Fully Illustrated; 12 Mo. Cloth * 

ZANCIG’S NEW COMPLETE PALMiSTRA. 

The only authorized edition published. By Prof. and 
Mme Zancig. Here we have the simplest presentations 
of the Science of Modern Palmistry published. All of 
the discoveries, investigations and researches of ce 
tnrie^ are summed up in' this practical treatise on 
Palmistry. There is no trait, no characteristic, no in- 
herited tendency that is not marked on the palm of the 
hand and can be traced with unerring accuracy by fo - 
inwine- the principles and instructions laid down in 
this book, enforced by numerous t i me 1 y 1 H us t r a t m n s 
of known historical personages. Even a casu; al read ng 

of this book will enable, us to know our he sincerity or 
better and give us convincing proof of the sincerity or 
insincerity of friends-or professing ones Iff careful 
cinH-e is then made vou will be astonished at the ac 
curi?y with whTch you can read the life-history of any 
nnp thih the graven lines on the palms. 86 fine 
mustraUon S s. N. B.-Other editions bearing the name 
of Zancigs are not authorized by them. CENTS 

Paper Covers . . . - — ! ! ! ! ! *. ! ’.50 CENTS. 

doth Titles in Gold * ' 

COMPLETE PHOTOGRAPHIC INSTRUCTOR. 

By T. Stith Baldwin. The camera is ^ recognized 
as a factor in the fields of pleasure profit and mstruc_ 
and i«? used bv every class of citizen, py tne ioui 
1st and other pleasure seekers as an adjunct to father 
the enjoyment of a vacation and to provide lasting 
(Cont inued on Page 18.) 

^jiy^Book” \dve rtisedinThi s C ** ^ ***** 
Postpaid, on Rec ^l»* ' 

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CATALOGUE OF F. J. DRAKE & CO. 


COMPLETE PHOTOGRAPHIC INSTRUCTOR— Con- 

tinued. 

souvenirs of a pleasant experience: by the professional 
man as a most valued assistant in scientific research; 
by the itinerant photographer as a means of liveli- 
hood, as he travels from place to place. 

Any man, woman or child of ordinary intelligence, 
without previous experience, by simply following print- 
ed instructions, can soon acquire the knowledge neces- 
sary to properly operate the camera, develop the plate 
(or film), and print and finish the picture. It also con- 
tains full instructions for Lantern-slide and transpar- 
ency making, fully illustrated. 

Paper Covers 25 CENTS. 

Cloth 50 CENTS. 

CARD TRICKS. How to Do Them. 

and principles of Sleight of Hand. By Prof. A. Roter- 
berg. Fully Illustrated. This book gives, with careful 
and easy instructions, the newest card tricks and 

Sleight of hand yet offered to professionals and ama- 
teurs. Not only does this book contain all of the new 
tricks, but nearly every one known is fully explained 
and exposed by explicit directions and carefully pre- 
pared illustrations. No more agreeable form of pub- 
lic or private amusement can be devised than that of 
successful card tricks. The great trouble is usually 

the difficulty in learning the tricks or in successfully 
producing them. This book gives plain instructions 
how to do them so as to render their production certain 
of success. 80 fine illustrations. 

Paper Covers 25 CENTS. 

Cloth, Gold Titles 50 CENTS. 

TRICKS WITH COINS. 

Embracing; every sleight and subtlety invented 
and known. By T. Nelson Downs, “King of 
Koins.” Illustrated. 


Fun and complete expose (illustrated) of the Author's 
World-Famous Coin Creation, “The Miser’s Dream’’ 
including the correct method of executing the Continu- 
ous Back and Front-Hand Palm. 

A Series of absolutely new Passes with Coins, includ- 
ing eleven distinct and different methods of causing the 
disappearance of a single coin. 

This Book contains a complete explanation, with illus- 
trations of many Coin Tricks and the Author. Written 
in a plain easy, comprehensive style, which makes it 
the very best book on coin tricks published. 

Paper Covers 25 CENTS. 


Cloth 


.50 CENTS. 


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Drake’s Descriptive List of Plays 


19 


NEW PLAYS AND ENTERTAINMENTS. 

These plays are of the highest order of merit, and 
make the very best list before the public. They are 
spirited in action and rich in variety of incident, con- 
taining pathos, delightful humor, and sparkling wit. 
This series contains no worthless nor worn-out plays. 
Every one is up-to-date. None of them is in any way 
objectionable to the most fastidious. All can be pro- 
duced in any town or village hall, many of them on a 
platform or in the parlor, without scenery or proper- 
ties. 

ALL THAT GLITTERS IS NOT GOLD. 15 Cents. 

A comic drama in two acts, by Thos. and J. M. Mor- 
ton Six male, three female characters. Two interior 
scenes. Time, two hours. A standard play, pleasing to 
audiences of all grades, brimful of comic situations and 
containing some powerfully affecting passages. 

ARABIAN NIGHTS, THE. 15 Cents. 

A farsical comedy in three acts, by Sydney Grundy. 
"Pour male, five female characters. Costumes of to-day. 
Parlor scene throughout. Runs 2 1-4 hours. A superior 
piece from the literary point of view. 

AT SIXES AND SEVENS. 15 Cents. 

A comedietta in one act, by J. M. Morton. Three 
male, four female characters. Parlor scene. Modern 
costumes. Time, 45 minutes. The excellence of this 
gay little piece consists in the humor of its situations. 

BACHELOR’S BEDROOM, THE; OR TWO IN THE 
MORNING. 15 Cents. 

A farce in one act, by Charles Matthews. Two male 
characters. Time 40 minutes. Show the inconveniences 
that arise from inviting a crank to share your bed- 
room at 2 A. M.. Sometimes called A Good Night s 
Rest.” 

BARBARA. 15 Cents. 

A play in one act, by J. K. Jerome, two ^2 

female characters. Modern costumes. Sitting-room 
scene. Time, 50 minutes. A well written romantic 
story with touches of genuine humor. 

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CATALOGUE OF F. J. DRAKE & CO. 


BARDELL vs. PICKWICK. 15 Cents. 

The trial scene from Dickens’ “Pickwick Papers,” by- 
John xiollingshead. Five male, two female, and as 
many others as may be desired for jurors, ushers, etc. 
Scene, a court-room. Time, 30 minutes. Very funny 
and affords scope for “taking off” local legal celebrities. 

BETSY. 15 Cents. 

A farcical comedy in three acts, by F. C. Burnard. 
Seven males, six females. Modern customs. Time, 2% 
hours. Two interior scenes. A most successful play. 

BLACK MAIL. 15 Cents. 

A farce in one act, for three darky comedians. Inter- 
ior scene, or no scene at all. Time, about half an hour. 
A musical doctor, a youth whose valentines and love- 
letters get him into scrapes, and a colored gentleman 
very much “on the make,” will create a great deal of 
laughter with their comicalities. Admits of specialties, 
and is very funny. 

BLACK STATUE, THE. 15 Cents. 

A farce in 1 act, by Charles White. 4 male (2 black 
faces), 2 female (played by male actors), characters. 
Scene, optional. Time of playing, 25 minutes. Old 
Squintum finds Pete making love to his daughter, and 
discharges him. The latter, with the help of Jake, a 
comical darky, and Pilgarlic, a sly cove, is sold to 
Squintum as a statue that makes life-like movements. 
The statue proves very lively and Squintum gets very 
badly sold. 

BOARDING SCHOOL, THE. 15 Cents. 

A farce in 1 act, by W. B. Bernard, as played at Wal- 
lack’s Theatre, N. Y. 7 male 5 female characters, and 
school-girls. Time, 1 hour. 

BOX AND COX. 15 Cents. 

A Negro farce, in 1 act, by Geo. Christy, for 3 black- 
face comedians, one impersonating an old woman. Cox 
is in the white washing business and wants lodgings at 
night; Box, a waiter, sleeps only in the daytime. Aunty 
Bouncer, the landlady, with both eyes open to business, 
rents the same room to both lodgers. Box gets a day 
off and returns to his garret only to find Cox in posses- 
sion. Then follows a circus and a reconciliation. No 
scenery required. Plays about 20 minutes. Extravag- 
antly funny. 


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21 


BETSY BAKER; OR TOO ATTENTIVE BY HALF. 
15 Cents. 

A farce in one act, by J. M. Morton. Two male, two 
female characters. Parlor scene. Time, 45 minutes. A 
lively farce in which the action rushes straight to the 
climax without any complications or intricacies. 

CHANGE PARTNERS. 15 Cents. 

A comedietta in 1 act, by J. M. Morton, a male, 3 fe- 
male characters. Parlor scene. Modern Costumes. 
Time 45 minutes. There is an uninterrupted vivacity 
about this breezy trifle that makes it play itself, while 
its comic situations provoke a succession of laughs 
Each character has scope for effective acting. . It he\e 
yet failed to please. No scenery required 15 CENlb 

CRICKET ON THE HEARTH, THE. 15 Cents. 

A drama in 3 acts, by Albert Smith. 6 male, 6 female 
characters. 3 interior scenes. Modern costumes. Time, 
9 'hours The entire range of theatrical literature does 
no? wisent a better? instfnce of .‘'domestic" drama than 
this clever dramatization of Dickens charming story. 

CUP OF TEA, A. 15 Cents. 

A comedietta in 1 act. 3 males, 1 female, viz.. is 
comedian 2 low comedians and comedienne. Parlor 
S££e Modern Tostumes. Time, 30 minutes. A favorite 
parlor play in which Mr. Scroggins, a comical abscond- 
incr riehtor contrives to stand things on tneir neau 
generally before he gets his cup of tea. A spirited trifle 
that acts exceedingly well. 

FAST FRIENDS. 15 Cents. 

acter C s 0nl “ 

much approval. No scenery required. 

FAIR ENCOUNTER, A. 15 Cents. 

character^ e parlor scene. “ 

imrnmmm 

will mailhfa adver saries. No scenery required. 

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CATALOGUE OF F. J. DRAKE & CO. 


FREEZING A MOTHER-IN-LAW. 15 Cents. 

A farce in 1 act, by T. E. Pemberton. 3 male, 2 fe- 
male characters. Parlor scene. Everyday costumes. 
Time, 45 minutes. One of the best of the “mother-in- 
law” plays, with chances for good acting all around, 
marked by keen humor of dialogue and uncommon drol- 
lery in its situations. 

FUNNIRONE’S FIX. 15 Cents. 

A farce in 1 act, by A. Williams. 6 male, 2 female 
characters. Office scene. Everyday costumes. Time, 30 
minutes. Represents a sub-editor’s woes in running a 
country newspaper. Funny from first to last, with an 
irresistibly ludicrous ending. 

FURNISHED APARTMENTS. 15 Cents. 

A farce in 1 act. 5 male characters. Plain room 
scene or no scene at all. Time, 50 minutes. Dr. Planus 
lets his suit of rooms to Mr. Thompson, not knowing 
that they have already been let by his assistant to Mr. 
Smith. Both lodgers arriving to take possession at the 
same hour, a laughable scene ensues. 

GALLUS JAKE. 15 Cents. 

An Ethiopian comicality in 1 scene, for two black- 
face comedians. Kitchen scene, or no scene at ail 
Plays about 10 minutes. Ephraim, a white-washer, and 
Jake, a darky dude, have a comical spirit-rapping ex- 
perience that scares them out of their senses. 

HANDY ANDY. 15 Cents. 

An Irish drama in 2 acts, by W. R. Floyd. 10 male, 
3 female characters. Time, 1*4 hours. Full of absurdi- 
ties that provoke laughter. 

HAPPY PAIR, A. 15 Cents. 

A comedietta in 1 act, by S. Theyer Smith. 1 male, 1 
female— both light comedy. Time, 45 minutes. A highly 
diverting little play, full of brisk movement and giving 
wide scope to both characters for clever work. 

HARVEST STORM, THE. 15 Cents. 

A drama in 1 act, by C. H. Hazlewood. 10 male char- 
acters. Landscape scene. Time, 45 minutes. .The story 
of- a bank clerk falsely accused of embezzlement, and 
his final exculpation, is set forth with high dramatic 
effect and unflagging interest. 


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23 


HAUNTED HOUSE, THE. 15 Cents. 

A Negro farce in 1 act, by Griffin and Christy. 2 male 
characters (landlord and whitewasher) and several 
ghosts. Plain interior scene. Time, about 15 minutes. 
Pete Johnson tries a little spirit rapping and is scared 
nearly out of his wits in consequence. 

HIGHEST PRICE PAID FOR OLD CLOTHES; OR 
THE TAILOR’S STRIKE. 15 Cents. 

An original eccentricity in 1 scene for 3 darky com- 
edians. Time, about 15 minutes. Dr. Squozzle and Zip 
Johnson, returned from California, try to get some 
sleep in the office of a hotel, while waiting for the train. 
Taking off their coats, etc., things get badly mixed. 

HOME. 15 Cents. 

A comedy in 3 acts, by T. W. Robertson. 4 male, 3 
female characters. Modern costumes. Parlor scene 
throughout. Time, 2 hours. A prime favorite with play- 
goers everywnere. 

HOW TO TAME IOUR MOTHER-IN-LAW. 15 Cents. 

A farce in 1 act, by H. J. Byron. 4 male, 2 female 
characters. Parlor scene. Time, 35 minutes. Mr. Whif- 
fles, being opnressed with a meddlesome mother-in-law, 
invokes the aid of a friend to cure his relative’s eccen- 
tricities. After a series of absurd extravagances the 
old lady is thoroughly “tamed” and Mr. Whiffles’ se- 
renity restored. 

IN HONOR BOUND. 15 Cents. 

A drama in 1 act, by Sydney Grundy. 2 male, 2 fe- 
male characters. Parlor scene. Evening costumes. 
Plays 40 minutes. A simple, pretty piece, neatly de- 
signed and freshly written; a little sentimental, but 
neither forced nor tawdry in its sentiment. 

JOHN SMITH. 15 Cents. 

A farce in 1 act, by W. Hancock. 5 male, 3 female 
characters. Time, 40 minutes. A favorite and laugha- 
ble piece in which the great number of John Smiths in 
the world is cleverly utilized in producing a series of 
button-bursting misunderstandings. Every character is 
good, and the farce is easy to play. 


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24 


CATALOGUE OF F. J. DRAKE & CO. 


JUMBO JUM. 15 Cents. 

A farce in 1 act. 4 male, 3 female characters. Time, 
40 minutes. Jumbo Jum is a comical darky who gets 
everything upside down in an uproarious way. In 
character is so full of genuine humor and fun that it is 
sure to convulse any audience with laughter f 
ning to end. A favorite piece with cullud comedians. 


LADY AUDLEY’S SECRET. 15 Cents. 

A drama in 2 acts, by C. H. Hazlewood. 4 male 3 
female characters. Costumes of the day. Time, 1% 
hours. This is a dramatization of Miss Braddon s well 
known novel, a favorite stock play with repertoire com- 
panies and popular among dramatic clubs. Lady Aua- 
ley is among the best of leading emotional characters. 


LEND ME FIVE SHILLINGS. 15 Cents. 

A farce in 1 act, by J. M. Morton. 5 male, 2 female 
characters. Time, 1 hour. The humor of this celebrated 
farce springs from the hero’s perplexities and mortifica- 
tions. It invariably provokes continuous explosions of 
laughter, and has long been a favorite in the repertoire 
of Mr. Joseph Jetierson. 


LOST HEIR, THE. 15 Cents. 

A drama in 3 acts for 10 male characters. Time, VA 
hours. Deservedly a favorite because of its real dra- 
matic effectiveness and the unflagging interest that fol- 
lows the fortunes of the young hero. 

MARRIED LIFE. 15 Cents. 

A comedy in 3 acts, by J. B. Buckstone. 5 male, 5 fe- 
male characters. Time, 2 hours. A sterling comedy 
that invariably provokes uproarious outbursts of mirth. 

MISCHIEVOUS BOB. 15 Cents. 

A comic drama in 1 act, for 6 male characters. Plain 
room scene. Time, 40 minutes. A taking farce for boys, 
marked by a serious, and even pathetic, as well as 
comic interest. 

MISCHIEVOUS NIGGER, THE. 15 Cents. 

A farce in 1 act, by Chas. White. 4 male (darky, 
French barber, Irishman, and irascible old man), 2 fe- 
male characters, (played by male actors). Plays 30 
minutes. 


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25 


MORE BLUNDERS THAN ONE. 15 Cents. 

A farce in 1 act, by Thos. G. Rodwell. 4 male, 3 fe- 
male characters. Time, about 1 hour. Consists of a 
succession of comical misadventures growing out of the 
pranks of a blundering Irishman who drives everybody 
nearly wild with his oddities. The leading character is 
an Irish comedian. 

MRS. WILLIS’ WILL. 15 Cents. 

A comedy in 1 act from the French of Emile Souv- 
estre. 5 female characters. Plain room scene. Time, 45 
minutes. Conveys the moral that fine clothes and 
scheming selfishness do not always succeed. A country 
jig, danced under protest by two of the personages, is 
the medium of much fun, and the whole cast, being 
composed of distinct types, gives scope for some very 
neat character acting. No scenery required. 

MY AWFUL DAD. 15 Cents. 

A comedy in 3 acts, by Chas. Matthews. 6 males, 6 
females, and 3 utility male characters. Modern cost- 
umes. 2 interior scenes. Time, 2 hours. Keeps the au- 
dience in roars of laughter from first to last. The play 
always makes a brilliant hit, and will be talked about 
long after many another play has been forgotten. 

MY NEIGHBOR’S WIFE. 15 Cents. 

A farce in 1 act, by J. M. Morton. 4 male, 4 female 
characters. Parloir scene. Modern costumes. Time, 45 
minutes. A laughable piece in which each of two elder- 
ly “mashers” attempts a flirtation with his neighbor’s 
wife. 

MY PRECIOUS BETSEY. 15 Cents. 

A farce in act, by J. M. Morton. 4 male, 4 female 
characters. Plain room scene. Time, 55 minutes. It is 
indescribably funny and never yet failed to convulse an 
audience with laughter. 2 of the characters (1 male 
and 1 female) mav be omitted, if desired. Sometimes 
called “Bobtails and Wagtails.” 

NOT SUCH A FOOL AS HE LOOKS. 15 Cents. 

A comedy in 3 acts, by H. J. Byron. 5 male, 4 female 
characters. Modern costumes. 3 interior scenes. Time, 
2V 2 hours. The movement throughout is exceedingly 
brisk, the interest not being permitted to flag for a 
moment. The play has great merit, and it is always 
greeted with unlimited laughter and vast applause. 


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Postpaid, on Receipt of Price. 
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CATALOGUE OF F. J. DRAKE & CO. 


NO CURE, NO PAY. 15 Cents. 

A Negro farce in 1 act, by G. W. H. Griffin. 3 males, 

1 female (played by a male actor). Plain interior or no 
scene at all. Plays about 15 minutes. Dr. Ipecac has a 
new method for restoring speech and hearing to the 
deaf and dumb. Geo. Washington Green, a dandy lover, 
gets under the treatment by mistake, with terrifying 
and ridiculous results. Cato, a darky servant is an ex- 
travagantly comical character. The other three char- 
acters can be played with white faces. 

NOT SO BAD AFTER ALL. 15 Cents. 

A comedy in 3 acts, by Wybert Reeve. 6 male, 5 fe- 
male characters. Garden and parlor scenes. Modern 
costumes. Time, 1% hours. The extraordinary whims 
and fancies of a wife who seeks to establish petticoat 
government, her husband’s comical predicaments and 
her ultimate cure, form the motive of this comedy 
which brings shouts of laughter from the audience. It 
is played sometimes as “Is Marriage a Failure?” and 
“The Second Honeymoon.” 

OBSTINATE FAMILY, THE. 15 Cents. 

A farce in 1 act. 3 male, 3 female characters. Plain 
room scene. Everyday costumes. Time, 40 minutes. 
A lovers’ quarrel between two servants grows, by a 
very natural process, into what threatens to be a do- 
mestic cyclone of vast proportions. 

OUR BOYS. 15 Cents. 

A comedy in 3 acts, by H. J. Byron. 6 male, 4 female 
characters. Modern costumes. 3 interior scenes. Time, 

2 hours. Full of opportunities for exciting a laugh, 
though some of the best effects are produced in the 
few serious moments of the play. 

OUT IN THE STREETS. 15 Cents. 

A drama in 3 acts, by S. N. Cook. 6 male, 4 female 
characters. Modern costumes. Time, 1 hour. Where- 
ever this play is presented it is received with the great- 
est enthusiasm. 

POPPING THE QUESTION. 15 Cents. 

A farce in 1 act, by J. B. Buckstone. 2 male, 4 female 
characters. Parlor scene. Time, 40 minutes. It is an 
exceedingly neat farce, easy to play, and always brings 
down the house. Requires no scenery. 


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27 


PERSECUTED DUTCHMAN, THE; OR THE ORIG- 
INAL, JOHN SCHMIDT. 15 Cents. 

A farce in 1 act, by J. Barry. 6 male, 3 female char- 
acters. Time, 50 minutes. Audiences never tire of this 
farce, though it has been played, and played again. 
Shouts of laughter greet the indescribably funny pre- 
dicaments of a Dutch commercial traveller who stops 
at a hotel. 

PRETTY PIECE OF BUSINESS, A. 15 Cents. 

A comedietta in 1 act, by Thos. Morton. 2 male, 3 
female characters. Parlor scene. Modern costumes. 
Time, 50 minutes. Consists of a series of absurd com- 
plications growing out of a plot to make a diffident old 
batchelor come to the point. No scenery required. 

QUACK DOCTOR, THE. 15 Cents. 

A Negro farce in 1 act, bv J. W. Smith. 4 males, 1 
female (the latter played by a male actor)— all black 
faces. Dr. Squash pulls teeth, cures fits, makes love 
to Dinah Primrose, and upsets things generally until 
his patients get together and mob him. Time, about 
25 minutes. 

QUARRELSOME SERVANTS. 15 Cents. 

A farce in 1 act. by G. W. H. Griffin. 3 male char- 
acters (1 white, 2 black faces). Plain room scene or no 
scene at all. lime, about 15 minutes. A popular and 
effective skit for 3 comedians. 

Q.UIET FAMILY, A. 15 Cents. 

A farce in 1 act, by W. E. Suter. 4 male, 4 female 
characters. Plain room scene. Everday costumes. 
Time, 45 minutes. A flare-up and reconciliation in 
which two quarrelsome families living under one roof 
create a whirlwind of boisterous fun which involves 
servants and all. The piece fetches shouts of laughter, 
and is good for parlor or afterpiece. 

REGULAR FIX, A. 15 Cents. 

A farce in 1 act, by J. M. Morton. 6 male, 4 female 
characters. Parlor scene. Everyday costumes. Time, 
50 minutes. The audience is kept in a state of continu- 
ous and explosive mirth at the way in which the hero 
extricates himself from the dilemmas that confront 
him at everv point. 


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CATALOGUE OP F. J. DRAKE & CO. 


ROOMS TO LET, WITHOUT BOARD. 15 Cents. 

A farce in 1 act, by Griffin and Denier. 3 male char- 
acters. Bedroom scene. Plays about 15 minutes. The 
farce is so full of snappy “business’’ and comic incident 
that it is sure to go well. Can be played with white or 
black faces. 

ROUGH DIAMOND, THE. 15 Cents. 

A farce in 1 act, bv J. B. Buckstone. 4 male, 3 female 
characters'. Parlor scene. Modern costumes. Time, 40 
minutes. In this farce, whose popularity is unexelled, 
the contrast between a country bumpkin and his 
fashionable city cousin is laughable in the extreme, 
while the dialogue and situations are funny straight 
through. Very easy to play. It is called, also, “The 
Country Cousin,” and “Cousin Joe’s Visit.” 

SCHOOL FOR SCHEMING, THE; OR LOVE AND 
3IONEY. 15 Cents. 

A comedy in 5 acts by Dion Bouccicault. 7 males, 8 
female characters. Time, about 3 hours. The author 
has constructed a very entertaining play with numerous 
merits. Spectators are always deeply interested in the 
development of the plot, and applause follows each act. 

SCRAP OF PAPER, A; OR THE ADVENTURES OF A 
LOVE-LETTER. 15 Cents. 

A comic drama in 3 acts, by J. P. Simpson. 6 male, 6 
female characters. 3 interior, scenes. Modern costumes. 

Time, 2 hours. A corned^ of the present time, full of 
healthy laughter, in which the intrigue has been 
wrought out with consummate skill. 

SHAM DOCTOR, THE. 15 Cents. 

A Negro farce in 1 act, by Chas. White. 4 male, 2 
female characters (all black faces, played by male ac- 
tors). Bellshazzar Bug, M.D., practices on old Johnson 
in a very novel way, but contrives to administer a good 
dose of fun to the audience. Time, about 20 minutes. 

SLIGHT MISTAKE, A. 15 Cents. 

A comedy in 1 act, from the French of Emil Souvestre. 
5 female characters. Plain room scene. Time, 30 min- 
utes. A pleasing comedy whose moral is coated with 
the sugar of fun. 


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352-356 Dearborn St., Chicago. 

SEND FOR COMPLETE CATALOGUE. 


CATALOGUE OF F. J. DRAKE & CO. 


29 


SINGLE LIFE. 15 Cents. 

A comedy in 3 acts, by J. B. Buckstone. 5 male, 5 
female characters. Time of playing, 2 hours. All the 
characters are comic— 5 bachelors and 5 spinsters. The 
play deals with the loves, suspicious and quarrels of 
the ten who wrangle themselves into a state of final 
harmony. It is pure fun all the way through, and the 
audience is kept in roars of laughter from beginning to 
end. 

SOLON SHINGLE; OR THE PEOPLE’S LAWYER. 15 
Cents. 

A New England comedy in 2 acts, by J. S. Jones. 7 
males, 2 females, and jurymen. Time, 1 V 2 hours. A well 
known and popular comedy. Many of the scenes are in- 
tensely pathetic, others are equally humorous. The play 
throughout appeals to all that is pure and wholesome. 
Every appearance of the old Yankee farmer brings out- 
bursts of uproarious mirth. 

STAGE-STRUCK DARKY, THE. 15 Cents. 

A darky interlude in 1 act, for 3 male characters (1 im- 
personating a girl). Plays about 10 minutes. It is a 
burlesque on high tragedy acting, the three characters 
impresonating Claude Melnotte, Lady Macbeth, Damon 
and Pythias, etc. 

STAGE-STRUCK YANKEE, THE. 15 Cents. 

A farce in 1 act, by O. E. Durivage. 4 male, 2 female 
characters. Time, 45 minutes. All the characters are 
good. Funny straight through, with a “star” Yankee 
comedian who doubles up the audience with laughter 
every moment he is on the stage. Sometimes called 
“Our Jedidah.” 

THAT RASCAL PAT. 15 Cents. 

A farce in 1 act, by J. H. Grover. 3 male, 2 female 
characters. Time, 50 minutes. A ludicrous farce with 
a capital Irishman, whose varying drolleries, blundering 
and impudence in trying to serve two masters at once, 
convulse the audience with explosions of mirth. No 
scenery required. 

TROUBLESOME SERVANT, THE (Handy Andy). 15 
Cents. 

A farce for 2 male characters (1 white and 1 black 
face), by G. W. H. Griffin. Plays 15 minutes. No scen- 
ery required. Both characters are thoroughly comical 
and will fetch roars from the audience. 


Any Book: Advertised in This Catalogue Sent, 
Postpaid, on Receipt of Price. 
FREDERICK J. DRAKE & CO., 

352-556 Dearborn St., Chicago. 

SEND FOR COMPLETE CATALOGUE. 


30 


CATALOGUE OF F. J. DRAKE & CO. 


THREE BLACK “SMITHS,” THE. 15 Cents. 

An Ethiopian farce in one scene, for 3 darky comedi- 
ans. No scenery required. Plays about half an hour. 
John Smitn, Joe Smith and Jonah Smith get into a 
laughable mix from sameness of name. Anybody who 
wants his wrinkles hammered smooth and the iron 
taken out of his soul, needs to see the adventures of 
the Three Black Smiths. 

TURN HOI OUT. 15 Cents. 

A farce in 1 act, by T. J. Williams. 3 male, 2 female 
characters— also 2 porters to bring on a trunk in which 
one of characters is hidden. Plain room scene. Modern 
costumes. Time 45 minutes. The situation is wildly 
farcial, and gives rise to any quantity of roaring fun. 
No scenery required. 

UNCLE JEFF. 15 Cents. 

A farce in 1 act, by Chas, White. 5 male (including 2 
darkies and a Yankee) and a female (played by male 
actors) characters. Plays about 20 minutes. Uncle Jeff, 
the leading darky comedy role, is a born mischief-mak- 
er, and plays any number of pranks that set all the 
other characters by the ears. 

UNCLE TONI’S CABIN (Original Version). 15 Cents. 

A drama in 6 acts, dramatized from Mrs. Harriet 
Beecher Stowe’s famous novel, by Geo. L. Aiken. 15 
male, 6 female characters. Time, about 3 hours. This 
is the original 6-act version which has been played 
thousands of times by both professional and amateur 
companies. 

UNCLE’S WILL. 15 Cents. 

A comedietta in 1 act by S. Theyre Smith, 2 males, 1 
female. Time, 30 minutes. Original in conception, and 
full of sparkling dialogue, this brilliant little piece 
keens up a constant ripple of amused expectation. The 
characters are all “star” parts, easy to play yet worthy 
of the most accomplished talent. Nothing ’better for 
the narlor. No scenery required. 

UNHAPPY PAIR, AN. 15 Cents. 

An Ethiopian farce in 1 scene, by G. W. H. Griffin. 3 
male characters and supers. Time, about 10 minutes. 
Two very hungry darkies strike the leader of the band 
for a square meal. Affords a chance for specialties and 
ends in a comic duet. 


Any Book Advertised in This Catalogue Sent, 
Postpaid, on Receipt of Price. 
FREDERICK J. DRAKE & CO., 

352-356 Dearborn St., Chicago. 

SEND FOR COMPLETE CATALOGUE, 


CATALOGUE OF F. J. DRAKE & CO. 


31 


VERMONT WOOL, DEALER, THE. 15 Cents. 

A farce in 1 act, by C. Burke. 5 male, 3 female char- 
acters. Time, 45 minutes. Another favorite Yankee 
farce, with good Negro and Irish characters as well. 
Suits actors and audiences and never grows old. Deu- 
teronomv Dutiful is a “screamer” as full of smart say- 
ings as an egg is full of meat. 

VIRGINIA MUMMY, THE. 15 Cents. 

A farce in 1 act, by Chas. White. 6 males (including 
Darky and Irishman), 1 female (plaved by a male ac- 
tor). Time, about V 2 hour. This farce is often called 
“The Egyptian Mummy.” 

WHICH IS WHICH? 15 Cents. 

A comedietta in 1 act, by H. Theyre Smith. 3 male, 
3 female characters. Everyday costumes. Scene, a 
studio. Time, 50 minutes. The play is exceedingly 
bright and graceful, with a strong vein of comic under- 
play. Suitable for parlor or afterpiece, and requires no 
scenery. Characters all excellent. 

WHO IS WHO? OR ALL IN A FOG. 15 Cents. 

A farce in 1 act, bv T. J. Williams. 3 male, 2 female 
characters. Parlor scene. Modern costumes. Time, 40 
minutes. Consists of a series of ridiculous situations 
caused bv everybody being mistaken for somebody efse, 
which creates any number of absurd complications. No 
scenery required. 

WOODCOCK’S LITTLE GAME. 15 Cents. 

A comedy farce in 2 acts, by J. M. Morton. 4 male, 4 
female characters. Time, 1 hour. Full of comical points, 
brisk action and irresisibly funny situations. The old 
woman and low-comedy characters require competent 
handling, but the other parts are easy to play. It will 
keep the audience in a continuous ripple of mirth. 

WOOING UNDER DIFFICULTIES. 15 Cents. 

A farce in 1 act, by John T. Douglass. 4 male, 3 fe- 
male characters. Parlor scene. Modern costumes. Time, 
30 minutes. Probably no other poor fellow ever wooed 
under more distressing difficulties than the hero of this 
farce, which is uproariouslv funny and easily played. 


Any Book Advertised in This Catalogue Sent, 
Postpaid, on Receipt of Price. 
FREDERICK J. DRAKE & CO., 

352-350 Dearborn St., Chicago. 

SEND FOR COMPLETE CATALOGUE. 


32 


CATALOGUE OP F. J. DRAKE & CO. 


YANKEE PEDDLER, THE; OR OLD TIMES IN VIR- 
GINIA. 15 Cents. 

chlricte? S in Time’ 4 b 7™ Moi T is B * rnett 7 male, 3 female 
cnaracters. lime, 45 minutes. A very funny niece that 

sets forth the adventures of a Yankee peddler on a 

Virginia plantation “before the war.” Excellent for a 

star Yankee comedian who wants to make lots of laugh 

SPECIAL NOTICE. 

The attention of all professional and amateur actors 
s particularly directed to the fact that we carry a full 
line of Make-up Materials. For prices send for Sr 
complete catalogue mailed free. Address d 1 
Frederick J. Drake & Co., 352-356 Dearborn St., Chicago. 


SAFE METHODS OF STOCK MANIPULA- 
TION. 

How to Make Money on the Stock Market. By 
W. Y. Stafford. 

An invaluable guide to the stock speculator or 
others who desire to know something regarding 
stock speculation, it describes the modes of manip- 
ulation which have hitherto remained a secret. The 
character of different markets, how to recognize and 
profit by them. Many valuable hints on how to steer 
clear of the pitfalls and take advantage of the op- 
portunities for making money. The author has had 
twenty years’ dealings, both as a broker and with 
the large manipulators in Wall Street, and gives the 
public the benefit of his experience. 

Cloth, Gold Titles CENTS. 


Any Book Advertised in Tliis Catalogue Sent, 
Postpaid, on Receipt of Price. 
FREDERICK J. DRAKE & CO., 

352-356 Dearborn St., Chicago. 

SEND FOR COMPLETE CATALOGUE. 







































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-aughable Jokes, Amusing Surprises, 


Conjuring Tricks, Parlour Fireworks, 


Puzzles and General Novelties. 


Fun in Town! Fun in Country! Fun Everywhere! 




A Joker with a few “stuv 
prises” in his pocket always en* 
sures a good time at a party; 
and as inciters to uproarious 
laughter ORNUM'S novelties 
beat anything that has appeared 
since Methuselah was a boy, and 
Cain and Abel had the measles!; 
You are cordially invited to call 
and inspect the various novelties^ 
If this is not practicable, send penny stamp for newf 
large 44 Surprise ” List (300 illustrations) to — 



6. ORNUM & CO., 


4, DUKE STREET. CHARING CROSS, 


LONDON, W.C. 


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Send fourpence in stamps for ORNUM’S Illustrated List of Conjuring 
Novelties. 

Send penny stamp for ORNUM’S List of Shadowgraphy Apparatus, jj 
Books, etc. 

Send penny stamp for ORNUM’S List of Books on Magic, Ventriloquism,: 
Shadowgraphy, Puzzles, Games, Charades, Chemistry and Electricity.' 

Send penny stamp for ORNUM’S List of Electrical Novelties. 


Send penny stamp for particulars of “ Biokam,” a new, cheap and reliable 
annaratus to take “ Animated Photographs ” by amateurs. 


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